Half the battle is won for Pankaj Tripathi, whose look as Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Main Atal Hoon has been appreciated. It is the other half, of convincingly becoming the former Prime Minister of India on screen, which will be a daunting feat. That’s why the actor dove headlong into six weeks of prep before kicking off Ravi Jadhav’s directorial venture.

Tripathi is currently shooting for the biopic in Lucknow. Before he stepped into the shoes of the statesman, the National Award-winning director gave him extensive reading material—chronicling Vajpayee’s early years, his rise as a politician, and interests beyond politics—that formed the foundation for Tripathi’s act. The actor also watched the former PM’s interviews, speeches and rallies to study his dialect and mannerisms.

“Pankaj’s idea was to imbibe Vajpayee-ji’s traits and characteristics to be able to portray him with honesty. At the same time, he had to ensure that it did not come across as a caricature. A month of extensive prep was followed by a special two-week workshop with the director,” says a source.

While Vajpayee was admired for his statesmanship, it was the politician’s artistic streak that struck a chord with Tripathi. The former Prime Minister harboured a deep love for literature, and had authored several poems in his lifetime.

“During my research, I also read about Atal-ji as a poet who had immense love for language and literature, apart from the politics and diplomacy that he is so widely known for. He used poetry intelligently to convey his state of mind. I could relate to that because good poetry, especially in Hindi, has a deep effect on me too. It was nice to know that there are poems and poets we liked in common,” says the actor.