Shamayita Chakraborty (BOMBAY TIMES; December 16, 2021)

Pankaj Tripathi has carved a niche for himself with some great performances in films like Newton, Stree and Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl along with his work in various web shows. During his recent stay in Kolkata for the shoot of Srijit Mukherji’s film, he was accompanide by his wife, Mridula, who hails from the City of Joy. In a chat, Pankaj spoke to us about his projects, his connect with Kolkata and more. Excerpts:

You have made your place with your unconventional appearance in an industry that has a historical bias towards the looks of actors and actresses. Tell us about the journey…
My journey has been as unconventional as my appearance. I used to work in one or two scenes in films and my work kept on growing. Now I am doing main roles and roles are being written for me. My journey has been a tough one. But this also says kisi ke saath kuch bhi ho sakta hai. An actor like me also got something in return after sheer hard work. Waste nehi gaya mera mehnat. You are new and an outsider. You will take time to succeed. You must not give up.

If you have it in you, you will get work. It has been an organic and fun ride. If I’d got everything served on a plate perhaps I wouldn’t have loved my achievements so much.

Has Bollywood also embraced changes in perspective?
I think, yes. I think there has been a change in the content and how people are being associated with the new content. There have been changes in narration and script. With the entry of OTT, the audience has evolved too. They want something different. It was because of OTT, actors like me got busy. Every good actor has work now.

As an actor, has this exposure has made your work more challenging or a lot easier?
Reaching a larger audience has become easier and work has become more challenging. Anyone can watch our films from anywhere in the world now. On the other hand, now you know that there are many actors to match your standards. You know what kind of actors are working worldwide, what kind of work is being done, what is the standard, what are the expectations of the audience and what are they exposed to. It is good to have healthy competition.

You have a very strong Kolkata connection.
I love Kolkata. Mujhe bahut lagao hai iss sheher se. I’ve been coming to Kolkata since 1993. I guess I was destined to have this Bengali connection. Whatever way I get treated in Bengal or Kolkata is usually special. I get love from every corner, even from the people who have no clue about my Kolkata connection. Common audience itna pyar deta hai ki puchiye mat. We were shooting in north Bengal and children from around that area used to gather to see and meet me. Someone painted a portrait of me and posted it on social media. I liked it so much that I met the artist this time and took the painting.