There’s a lot of buzz around actor Akshay Kumar’s OMG 2, which will hit the screens next month. Actor Pankaj Tripathi, who is also a part of the sequel to the 2012 hit OMG – Oh My God!, is not worried about the audience’s expectations.

Ask if he feels the pressure to surpass the legacy that actor Paresh Rawal created in the first instalment, and Tripathi says, “I don’t think about all that. I just do my work with honesty. Meri jitni samajh hai aur jitna kaam mujhe aata hai, uske hisaab se har project mein apna best de deta hoon. And then I leave it to the universe. Aisa zaroori nahin ki meri har performance sabko pasand aaye.”

OMG 2 is set to clash with Gadar 2 at the box office. But Tripathi isn’t perturbed by that either. “Main siwaye acting ke kisi aur cheez par dhyaan nahin deta. If four films are released on the same day and they are all good, toh woh sab chalengi. Acting mera kaam hai. I have no idea about a film’s business,” says the 46-year-old.

Besides having some big-screen films to his credit, he is also loved for his OTT outings. But does it translate into the money he makes for his web projects? According to a recent survey, actor Ajay Devgn’s earnings for Rudra: The Edge of Darkness (2022) were Rs. 125 crore, while actors Manoj Bajpayee, Radhika Apte and Tripathi earned Rs. 10 crore for The Family Man 2 (2021), Rs. 4 crore for Sacred Games and Rs. 12 crores for Mirzapur 2 (2020), respectively. But pay disparity doesn’t bother Tripathi. “I don’t know about it, and I don’t wish to know either. I’m a satisfied human. Whatever I have and whatever I get is more than enough for me. Who is getting what in life does not bother me at all,” he ends.

Pankaj Tripathi, known as a versatile performer, has expressed his desire to strike a better work-life balance. Amid his busy schedule, the actor has made the decision to limit himself to a maximum of “four film projects a year”, allowing him to focus on the quality of his work and personal development.

The 46-year-old shares, “I will complete Main Atal Hoon on July 7 and then on July 9, I will join the cast of Stree 2. I am shooting for 360 days in a year aur main asal zindagi mein itna vyast rehne wala aadmi nahi hoon.”

Tripathi attributes his ability to portray diverse characters to his background in theatre and is grateful that he has not been typecast. But, he acknowledges his limitations. “Acting is such an art ki aap utna hi kharch kar sakte ho jitna aapke andar jama hai. So, you need to refill your earnings (life experiences and observations) which I am not able to do at present,” says the actor, wishing to spend time with his family and a couple of months in his village doing farming.

Despite this newfound goal, Tripathi has an array of releases lined up. “I have around six projects slated for release this year, including OMG 2, Fukrey 3, Mirzapur 3, Murder Mubarak, Kadak Singh, Gulkunda Tales, Father and Metro... In Dino,” ends the actor, adding that “a gap of 15-20 days between projects is also important to prep better”.

Films clashing at the box office is no big deal, and there have been ample instances in the past where both movie releases have worked well even without overshadowing the other. And pre-Independence Day weekend this year already seems to be quite exciting, with three big films — Gadar 2, OMG 2 and Animal — locking horns on August 11. However, trade analysts and experts wonder if this is an ideal scenario, especially after the pandemic when there’s already such a backlog of films to be cleared. 

“This three-way clash is only overkill,” says film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi with disappointment, adding, “The August 15 weekend is a lucrative date for a lot of people, but since we are just emerging from the damages inflicted upon the industry during the pandemic, it’s important that we space out the releases in a way that every week we have enough content.”

Rathi also points out that besides these Hindi releases, there might be other language movies coming out, too, including one project starring Rajinikanth. More experts feel the same:

We need to space out to give everyone a chance at recovery. And people also don’t have such a budget to watch more than one film in a weekend, considering the prices of the tickets.

After the pandemic, people prefer to go out of town during such weekends. So, they (makers) need to change their mindset while planning the release calendar. They (makers) need to focus on revving the business and move accordingly.

“This has been the strength of the film industry. It is not clashing with the audience getting more options. We have screens to accommodate. It is good, not bad, for us. And when it comes to a film working, it is not about paying capacity but good content. If a film is good, it will work,” says Devang Sampat, CEO, Cinepolis.

We had summer months May and June, with no big release. Now, three films will come out together. It is not a good sign. Someone who probably could have made a bit more (money), will lose out because of the competition.

It’s not a healthy trend. Everyone has budget constraints. In fact, exhibitors and distributors will also be fighting among themselves to get enough screen and the shows. Everyone has a right to think of the release date, but they also need to look at the bigger picture at the moment.

Pankaj Tripathi has kept a low profile in the year so far. The actor admits that staying away from the limelight was a deliberate move. “Since I was seen a lot on screen over the last two years, it was a conscious decision to take a step back. I am a low-key person. I just work and head back home. I have many projects releasing in the second half of 2023. So, I thought it is better for me to keep it low-key in the first half of the year,” Tripathi tells us.

The 46-year-old adds that with projects like Gulkanda Tales, Mirzapur season 3, OMG 2, Fukrey 3, Murder Mubarak, Father and Metro... In Dino releasing this year, “work-wise, everything is on track”. Sharing what kept him busy, the actor says that contributing towards the development of his village, Belsand (Bihar), over the last few months gave him a lot of satisfaction:

“The school where I studied was a primary school. Since it has now become secondary, it needed some work. So, the principal reached out to me. That’s how I got involved in bettering its infrastructure. I also got a solar system installed.”

Tripathi adds, “The main reason for me to get involved was to inspire the students studying there. I also helped them build a library.”

The actor feels it’s his way of staying connected to his roots. “It was important for me to contribute towards the development of my village because my life’s foundation was laid there. Whenever I get time, I head to Belsand. My parents still stay there. Last year, I supervised the planting of 500 trees in the area with the help of the local authorities. It gave me satisfaction,” he ends.

Viacom18 Studios has built a formidable 100 films library over the last decade that includes an array of films like Tanu Weds Manu, Special 26, Kahaani, Queen, Padmavaat, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Andhadhun and the Drishyam franchise among others. Tipping Point, its digital content brand, has delivered Jamtara and She franchises, that have captivated the audience and are now returning for their third seasons.

The studio is now geared up to bring a new array of movies and series, both for streaming devices and the silver screen. The line-up spans various genres, including thrillers, action, drama, comedy, romance, reality and slice-of-life stories.

Ajit Andhare, COO of Viacom18 Studios, says, “Our mission is focused on curating a compelling and diverse slate of stories from the most talented creators in various forms, narrative styles and languages that connect with the hearts of the viewers, irrespective of the screens they play on.”

The new line-up includes the aerial action film, Fighter starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, a family drama Rocky Rani Ki Prem Kahani starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt and the sequel of OMG – Oh My God!, OMG – Oh My God 2!.

In addition are unique films like Dhak Dhak, a coming-of-age journey of four unlikely women bikers starring Fatima Shaikh, Ratna Pathak Shah, Dia Mirza and Sanjana Sanghi, a courtroom family drama, Shastry Vs Shastry with Paresh Rawal, then there’s Huma Qureshi’s heartwarming Single Salma and the intriguing thriller Suspect starring Nana Patekar and Meezaan Jafri.

Tipping Point will launch 10 path-breaking new shows for the streaming world. It includes Gaanth, a crime thriller set in Delhi, Transition, a groundbreaking reality series that follows the journey of a trans woman, and Kaalkoot, an investigative drama, Boots, Belts & Berets, a heart-warming coming-of-age story of academy freshers turning to men in uniform, Mahim, an adaptation of Jerry Pinto’s book set in Mumbai, and Cheeku, a coming-of-age story about a young 24-year-old boy from the Tamil Brahmin Iyer community in Mumbai, to name a few.

Besides this, Viacom18 Studios’ Hollywood slate includes the highly-anticipated Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, starring Tom Cruise and the seventh instalment of the Transformers franchise, Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts. Powered by this slate, the studio continues to bring the best of Paramount’s titles to India and continues on its mission to present the best of Indian stories to the world.

(L to R): Fighter, Cheeku, Gaanth and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

It’s not the first time that an actor has worn a fake moustache on screen; There was a disclaimer right in the beginning of the film; A group wanted to target actor Akshay Kumar — Director Chandraprakash Dwivedi makes all this clear as he opens up to us on every criticism directed towards his recent film, Samrat Prithviraj.

Commenting on how some reports have projected his recent remarks that the audience boycotted the film due to things Kumar did in the past, Dwivedi tells us, “Two days after the release of the film, I spoke to a lot of people. And I maintained that my faith in Akshay Kumar remains unshakeable. I have done two more upcoming films with him, Ram Setu and OMG Oh My God 2. I feel that my words are being twisted.” He further adds that he has no complaints with the film’s producer, Aditya Chopra either.

Dwivedi claims a section of people wanted to target Kumar, and hence the film didn’t do well at the box office. Admitting he is disappointed at the reception the film got, he says, “There’s a section of people who thinks they have to correct everything! Unhe iss baat se takleef hai ki film mein log tilak kyun laga rahe hain, auratein bindi kyun nahin laga rahi hain. But the visual ornaments which we see women wearing in pictures, that’s a European tradition! These people got annoyed when I tried to set the record straight.”

For people who commented on the language used in the film, Dwivedi says, “Jis bhaasha ko log ‘Urduwood’ ki bhaasha keh rahe hain, voh bhaasha issi desh mein janmi hai. We have translated Prithviraj Raso (a Braj language epic poem about the life of Prithviraj Chauhan), and the author himself writes in that. I wasn’t doing anything different. I was surprised that such a debate arose even.”

He says he always maintained that the film was based on Prithviraj Raso, of which different versions exist. “I said it right in the beginning that it’s based on Raso. Whether Prithviraj Raso is a historical document or not is a debate. A section of historians believe it is, while some say it is not.”

And on the stories that claim Chopra is pinning the performance of Samrat Prithviraj on Kumar’s lack of dedication, like not caring to grow an actual moustache, Dwivedi says, “Aditya (Chopra) has never said this. Is it happening for the first time that an actor has worn a fake moustache? On June 2, I, Aditya and Akshay were together, and Aditya categorically told me that he is happy with the film. He will never say that I failed in my duty. Same is true for Akshay.”