Pankaj Tripathi may have built a career playing characters rooted in everyday life, but he is now looking for unfamiliar territory. From wanting to play a brutal villain to returning to theatre after over a decade and producing stories that reflect his worldview, the actor is embracing a new phase in his career.

After turning producer last year with eight-episode dramedy Perfect Family, the actor says he’s taking his time to find stories that resonate with him rather than chasing scale or spectacle. He shares, “I’m meeting people and listening to stories. I want to make films based on my taste in storytelling and I’ll do that soon. I don’t like larger-than-life stories because I see humans as humans. I enjoy superhero stories, but they belong in mythology or fantasy. In real life, there are no superheroes — every human is a superhero. Every middle-class parent is a superhero. Those are the kind of relatable stories that attract me.”

After years of playing relatable, slice-of-life characters, Tripathi says he’s ready to switch gears. He now wants to explore fantasy, comedy and play a truly menacing villain.

He says, “I feel that I have done too much of realistic cinema. Now I want to do fantasy and comedy. It’s been too many years since I played a villain. I even called Amar Kaushik (Stree, Bala, Bhediya) and told him, ‘If you have a script like that, give me a brutal villain’s role.’ I want to play a deadly villain. Bohot ho gaya playing slice-of-life characters. For me, Sultan from Gangs Of Wasseypur is still my favourite villain. While growing up, I loved watching Amrish Puri.”

Pankaj, who recently went back to theatre after 12-13 years with the play Lailaaj, believes it offers something screens increasingly cannot. He says, “Our work appears on screens and when we do Reels, we are on screens. I don’t like video interviews because you’re seen on screen again. Real experience is important — like a print interview. You’re just holding a piece of paper and reading it. Joh printed hai utna hi content hai.”

Pankaj’s return to theatre was also driven by a desire to experience storytelling without the distractions of the digital world.

The Mimi actor says, “I wanted to go back to theatre because the live experience is something you simply can’t replicate elsewhere. When you read digitally, ek ke upar ek pop-up hoga... janjal hai internet ka. It’s a constant distraction. Ninety per cent of people pick up their phone to do one thing and end up doing something else. I wanted that direct connection between performers and the audience that only a live performance can create.”

When Pankaj Tripathi travels to Australia this month to receive his first international honour as "Artist of Distinction" honour at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2026. He will attend the festival in Victoria, Australia, to accept the award in person at Melbourne's Palais Theatre on August 13, 2026. It will mark another milestone in a career that has rewritten the rules of stardom. For the actor, however, the recognition isn't just personal. He regards it as an indication that tales born on Indian soil can travel continents.

Reflecting on the journey, Tripathi says he often marvels at where life has taken him. "I feel good. Life is such an interesting journey. I was born in a place where there was no electricity. From there, to travel across the seven seas... the biggest contribution in this journey is not mine, but my art form. I've been practicing this art for over 20 years. God gave me that opportunity, directors and producers trusted me, and I became part of stories that travelled from India to the world. People watched them there, recognized them and appreciated them. It is an honour. I feel very proud."

The actor has experienced that international reach first-hand. What surprised him most wasn't the growing South Asian diaspora embracing his work, but viewers with no cultural connection to India responding to the nuances of his performances.

"Two reviewers in the US, Nick and Corwin, used to discuss my performances in such detail. They even interviewed me. I kept wondering how these small Indian nuances were reaching them. Then I realized that performing art goes beyond language. Cinema is a visual medium. You may not understand every word, but you understand the mannerisms, the posture and the internal effort of an actor."

He recalls another moment that reaffirmed the universality of storytelling. "Last year I was walking on a street in New York and thought very few people would recognize me here. A foreign family, I think from South America, came up to me. They recognized me. We often believe our global audience is only of Indian or Asian origin, but I realized it has gone much beyond that. Our films are dubbed and subtitled in different languages, and people everywhere are watching them."

Back home, Tripathi is equally hopeful about the future of acting as a profession. With the National School of Drama set to open a Mumbai campus, he hopes formal training will continue to matter in an industry increasingly obsessed with social media metrics.

"Learning the craft of acting is important. Influencers create content from their own minds and many of them do it very well. But acting is different. The content isn't yours. Someone else writes it and you have to become another person. Content creators usually play versions of themselves, so there can be limitations. That's why learning the craft, whether at NSD or anywhere else, is important."

He also dismisses the perception that follower counts dictate casting decisions. "I once asked one of the heads of Amazon whether followers really mattered. He told me that isn't true. What matters is whether the actor is right for the role. Marketing teams may think about followers because it helps with reach, but art and follower counts have nothing to do with each other. I don't see that connection."

So much of our lives passes by in front of a screen. Work, education, entertainment — it’s all happening through screens. For Pankaj Tripathi, that just won’t do. The actor wants us to put our phones down and go back to the oldest form of storytelling — theatre. 

In November 2025, Tripathi founded the theatre company, Roopkatha Rangmanch, with his wife Mridula Tripathi. Their first production, Lailaaj, premièred in 2025, marking the actor’s return to the stage after a 12-year hiatus. Since then, Lailaaj has attracted a wide range of viewers; some arriving because they have admired his films, others because they are theatre enthusiasts. Either way, Tripathi is happy that Mumbai is giving theatre a thought.

“Many people come because they know me from films. For some, this is their first theatre experience. Afterwards, they tell me they never imagined theatre could be like this. People sometimes assume serious theatre must be difficult to understand,” he told mid-day.

One of the biggest battles has been fighting the perception that theatre is expensive. To address that, Tripathi insisted on keeping a significant number of tickets priced as low as Rs 200 for every performance.

“People told me it wouldn’t work because theatre productions are expensive. But I said that we are not doing theatre for profit. We are doing it to give back to theatre, and build a new audience.”

The gamble has paid off. “Those Rs. 200 tickets sell out first every single time,” he smiled. 

According to the actor, such gestures help remove invisible barriers. Give it time and it may even make theatre a habit for Mumbaiites. “Keep the expensive seats if you want, but don’t make theatre exclusive. Let young people come. Once they experience live performance, they will come back,” he promised.

A glimpse of this was seen recently when videos surfaced online of audiences braving Mumbai’s heavy rains to watch Lailaaj. He beamed, “People forgot that there was another world outside the auditorium. Inside, they were simply enjoying themselves.”

The project has also become a family affair. Tripathi’s daughter, Aashi, has become an active part of Roopkatha Rangmanch. “She wanted to attend a theatre workshop and gradually became involved. Lailaaj is her second play with our group,” said the proud father.

Lailaaj was followed by The Just, a play set in pre-Independence India. As both plays travelled across the country, the theatre company established an unusual practice of double-casting actors. The reason? “If any actor gets a film or TV project, they shouldn’t have to leave that opportunity because of a theatre commitment. We have two actors for every role, so no one’s journey stops,” explained Tripathi.

A thoughtful move that summarises why Tripathi started Roopkatha Rangmanch in the first place. “When I came to Mumbai nearly 25 years ago, I was looking for opportunities. Today, there are countless actors arriving in the city with the same dream. We wanted to create a platform for them,” he shared.

The theatre company was also his way of doing his bit for the medium that shaped him as an artiste. “Theatre has contributed immensely to my life. I learnt acting there, I learnt humanity there. My entire journey began on stage before cinema gave me fame and financial stability. Somewhere, I always felt I had to give back to the medium.”

For Pankaj Tripathi, stardom isn’t about constantly being seen; it’s about being remembered. In a conversation with us, the actor, who has been keeping a low profile lately, reflects on fame, stepping back from work and finding solitude.

About his personal definition of being a star, Pankaj, who sat for a fireside chat about stardom at WPP Media’s BREW 2026, says, “For me, it is basically people’s love, affection and brand endorsements. Because brands don’t approach you unless you are a star. They don’t approach just good actors, brands approach stars. So that is one definition as per the market, but for me, stardom means connection, trust and love from the audience.”

When asked whether he considers himself a star today, he smiles and says, “I think my bank account feels that way, but I don’t.”

Reflecting on whether he ever aspired to become a star, he explained, “For stardom, popularity is important. But along with popularity, one should also be memorable. People should remember your work. One shouldn’t just be popular – even infamy brings popularity. Naam ho, but naam memorable ho. I never tried to be popular, but I have definitely tried to be memorable.”

Pankaj, who had earlier spoken about wanting to slow down professionally, reveals that his break from work is still ongoing. “It has been a good break. I’m still on one. I’m listening to stories and listening to my heart. I don’t want to do too much now. If I do two films a year, that’s enough for me. I’m spending a lot of time by myself. When you are in solitude, you meet yourself, not anyone else. That’s the phase I’m in right now – meeting myself,” he shares.

Asked what he has discovered about himself during this phase, he jokes, “That I won’t tell you. Later, I’ll sell it in a book for Rs. 399.”

He adds, “You cannot describe discovery. What you explore within yourself cannot be expressed so easily. Wisdom is difficult to explain. It’s like learning how to ride a bicycle – you don’t know exactly when you learnt it; one day, it just happens. What I have realized is that my knowledge is limited. So now I shouldn’t give too much gyaan and I shouldn’t do a podcast!”

During his break, did he ever fear being out of sight, out of mind? He replies, “No, not at all. I want to stay out of sight. Even stars in the sky disappear for hours. Even the moon vanishes for fifteen days and then returns. It’s important not to be available everywhere, every day. You cannot appear in every paparazzi video, waving at people all the time,” he explains.

Elaborating further, he says, “The ones who want to remain constantly discussed will find it difficult to go out of sight because discussions keep them alive. But memorable people remain alive regardless.”

On a final note, when asked about Stree 3 and when it will go on the floors, he replies, “Director Amar Kaushik is the right person to talk about Stree 3. He is writing it right now, but they are currently busy with another film. So even I’m not sure about when Stree 3 will happen.”

Success has been Pankaj Tripathi’s steady companion over the past few years. Now, he is pursuing something more — as a new producer, he wants to tell meaningful stories. As he steps into his new role, Tripathi says the actor in him will take a backseat.

“I will take up less acting work. If I want to produce something, I won’t act for six-eight months that year. I have been working 300 days a year. Now, I want to give only 100-150 days to acting. I want to dedicate the remaining days to producing plays and other hobbies,” he tells us over a phone call.

His production dream is already being executed. While Tripathi’s first play, Lailaaj, opened in Mumbai last week, his first series, Perfect Family, premiered on YouTube on November 28. “In a year or two, we’ll do a feature film. Filmmaking is a costly medium, but I don’t want to earn a lot from it. I want to tell the stories of my heart,” he says.

Perfect Family is one such story. The series revolves around a family that is compelled to seek therapy after one of its members has an anxiety attack. “The show came to me after the shoot was done. Had producer Ajay Rai asked me to join the series as an actor, I would have, because it tells an important story,” emphasizes Tripathi.

Even as the subject of mental health has entered the public discourse in the last few years, the actor notes that it has yet to penetrate in smaller cities and towns of India. “People in villages take mental health lightly,” he says.

So did he at one point. Tripathi admits that earlier, he wasn’t an endorser of therapy. “If you had asked me three years ago, I would have said, ‘Therapy and all are useless things. Wake up in the morning and exercise; you are overthinking.’ But I don’t say that now. When I’ll feel the need, I will see a therapist. If someone is seeking therapy, I will not judge them. We need to normalize it like cold and cough.”

It took Pankaj Tripathi almost 15-18 years to get recognition in the film industry. His acting journey is often compared to those of acclaimed actors like Irrfan, Manoj Bajpayee, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. None of them had one early breakthrough movie, and their path to fame demanded decades of constant hard work. At a recent session, he was asked if he would ask actors struggling for decades, clinging to the belief that ‘If Irrfan, Nawaz, and Pankaj Tripathi made it, so will I,’ to quit the profession and try something else.

Pankaj replied, “Hum keval abhineta nahi hain. Hum hope bhi hain. Zindagi ummeedon pe hi tiki hui hai toh ye kaise kehde ki tum ummeed chhor do? Kaise kehde ki 15 saal kuch nahi hua, toh tum ummeed chhor do? In my own life, things started happening after the age of 38. Nowadays, I see young people giving up hope at the age of 25-26, not just in cinema but in other professions too. Ummeed pe jeevan tika hua hai.”

Speaking at his masterclass on acting, ‘Unique Swagger in Every Role,’ at the 54th IFFI, Pankaj revealed that when he goes on sets, directors tell him, “Aap apna wala kar do.” He added, “Lekin main sochta hoon ki main kitne din apna wala karunga? Audience bore ho jayegi. Audience also expects that the actor will do the same thing. An actor like me has the freedom to experiment. Agar stardom ka darza mil jaye toh hum apne hi create kiye hue aura aur mannerism mein phans jate hain. There are actors who have created an image and then they have to live up to that image in their films and in real life. It is quite visible that they are trapped. For an actor, to be creatively alive it is very crucial that we keep experimenting. Sometimes those experiments will be rejected, but we must try.”

In recent years, Pankaj has been doing back-to-back films and web series. He shared that he analyses the backstory and nuances of his characters to ensure that each one is different. Doesn’t it bother him that he might end up repeating himself? Pankaj said, “I don’t get scared of repetition, but I do analyze it. When we act in a web series, we have to repeat the same role for seasons 1, 2, and 3. I can’t change my face, and even as I experiment with my body language, it can’t be done beyond a point. But I look at it like a painting. Ten paintings by a painter might seem the same. However, if you look closer, you’ll notice they all have different fine nuances. My characters in Mirzapur and Gurgaon are of similar nature but not the same – while the look is the same, both of them have different nuances. If you look at them closely, all (the characters) are different because I created their back story in my mind.”

When asked how he ensures that success never goes to his head, Pankaj said, “Iskeliye adhyatm (spirituality) ki zaroorat padti hai. Almost 15 years ago, I came to this place (Goa’s Kala Academy) for an acting course, and no one knew me at that time. So, 15 years ago, no one recognized me, and it’s possible that 15 years later, no one will recognize me again. Toh sab dharatal pe aa jate hain ki ye sab mithya hai, duniya ek rangmanch hai, jis rangmanch pe tumhara abhi character chal raha hai, aur ek din ye character flop hoga.”

The audience burst out laughing when Pankaj told them that he is evaluating whether he is actually a humble person or if it’s a persona that he has created. He said, “Aaj kal mere baare mein ek chhavi ban gayi hai ki main bahut humble aadmi hoon. Ab main mulyankan (evaluate) kar raha hoon ki main genuinely itna humble aadmi hoon ya main bahut tej aadmi hoon jo humble hone ka abhinay kar raha hoon. Gussa aata hai mujhe bhi, badle ke bhav bhi aate hai, sochta hoon badla lunga – within a second dusra khayal aata hai – chhoro dost, kya time waste hoga.”

Talking about the role of money in his life, Pankaj said, “Jeevan safal toh ho gaya, sarthak kaise hoga? Toh woh 10 lakh ke joote khareedne mein na jaye. Main middle-class aadmi hoon, middle-class soch hai. Jab income tax bharne jata hoon, tab pata chalta hai ki main middle-class nahi hoon. CA mujhe kehta hai aap super rich category mein hain. Main kehta hoon main toh middle class aadmi hoon, toh kehte hain ‘aapka account middle-class nahi hai.’”

He added, “Paisa ka koi mayna (value) nahi hai. 6/6 ke bed pe sote hain, wahi roti khaate hain, aur duniya ki sabse mehengi cheez ye ghadi (watch) hai, jo patni ne diya hai. Isse pehle mujhe ghadi pasand nahi thi. Ab mere paas ek costume designer bhi hai, jo kehta hai ki kapde dohrao mat. Main kehta hoon, ‘Chup raho tum. Main wahi pehnunga.’”

Character ke preparation mein do-teen din lagte hain, lekin actor banne ke preparation mein 25-30 saal,” Pankaj Tripathi told students during a session at the Bharat Rang Mahotsav at the National School of Drama in New Delhi on Tuesday. He also engaged the audience with his witty remarks and to-the-point, humorous replies.

Pankaj said he’s often seen young actors who, after performing only a couple of plays, consider themselves to be ‘upcoming stars’ and go to Mumbai. When they find out that there is a huge difference between their expectations and reality, they become frustrated and start blaming everyone else for their problems.

He said, “Now, when I look back at the work I did ten years ago, when I graduated from the National School of Drama, I feel I was such a bad actor. I know that ten years later I will see my current work and I will think the same. Best actor bol kar kuch nahi hota. Acting ka koi parameter nahi hai, ki ‘yeh perfect actor hai’. It is a life-long learning process. Usain Bolt can be the best runner, but there is nothing called ‘the best’ in acting.”

“Acting is not wrestling, ki within six minutes you can defeat your opponent. Two actors together deliver a perfect scene, and there is no victory or loss,” Pankaj said, adding, “Before coming to NSD in 2004, I acted in plays for nine years in Patna. This journey has been of 25-30 years, and I can say that I am still learning.”

Pankaj spoke about the grind that young actors have to go through and how sometimes drama school students can feel a bit entitled. “In the digital world, everyone is an actor. Everyone is making reels. It is challenging for actors. Audition dene jao, toh pata chala mere mohalle ka chemist bhi aaya hua hai. When actors from drama school stand in those lines, they feel ‘(why) do I have to stand in this line with these people who are so beneath me?’.”

The actor had earlier said that he believes in the economy of gestures and tries to find ways to say the maximum with minimum effort. During this session, he also spoke about the trap of stereotyping in cinema. Though he has explored a lot of emotions and gestures for his different roles, when he now gets offers, the script often includes a particular gesture he is known for – like his iconic nod.

He says, “Log bolte hain – ‘payment zyada le lo, lekin wohi karo jo tumne uss mein kiya tha’. Cinema ka apna alag trap hai. Ek baar jo cheez hit ho gayi, wohi karwai jaati hai. Kai baar karte bhi hain, ki EMI dena hai ya jeevan mein zaroorat ho. Agar aap ye jaan kar role kar rahe hain ki karne ka purpose kya hai, toh theek hai. Purpose pata hona chahiye.”

Pankaj spoke about the pitfalls of stardom, where actors start considering themselves as gods. He said, “Cinema bahut jaldi dimag kharab karta hai. Shooting pe 200-400 log aa jaate hain, toh actor ko lagta hai ki main bahut powerful hoon. Cinema bhram (illusion) create karta hai, aur actor uss bhram mein padh ke khud ko ishwar samajhne lagta hai. Phir woh kissi aur track pe nikalne lagte hai. Jiss se actor ke art ka bhi nuksan hota hai.”

About his acting process, he emphasized that imagination is a vital tool for actors, and they must develop it.

Pankaj Tripathi, who was recently filming in Delhi, revealed that he makes it a point to visit his alma mater National School of Drama (NSD) whenever he is in the capital, irrespective of his schedule. On his recent visit to the drama school, he visited the bench where he used to discuss plays, the classroom where he received a prem patra from his now wife, and the student union office where he used to spend a lot of time as a treasurer.

When he graduated from the drama school, he realised that it’s difficult to sustain as a theatre artiste in the Hindi belt, and so he left Patna for Mumbai.

Now the actor is planning to do a couple of plays and told us, “Ab toh log dekhne aayenge.” Adding how difficult it was to convince people to come and watch plays during his initial days, he said, “Bihar mein main logon ko bolta tha ki main theatre karta hoon toh logon ko laga Sonpur ke mele mein theatre karta hai. Mujhe toh saal lag gaye logon ko convince karne mein ki yeh Sonpur mela wala theatre nahi hai.”

Talking about his visits to NSD, Pankaj said, “Whenever I am in Delhi, I visit NSD. Main jahan ka hota hoon main wahan se connected rehta hoon. Main Dilli aaunga toh yeh sambhav hi nahi hai ki NSD na aaun. I have a photo from when Nawaz sir (Nawazuddin Siddiqui, his NSD senior) and I had to go for a shoot at 6 am and we came to NSD before that. Hum dono 6 baje aaye aur 20 min baith ke chale gaye.”

The staff members of NSD said that while Pankaj regularly visits the campus, he never informs anyone and just sneaks in and out. When Pankaj entered the drama school, he first stopped at NSD’s student union office, which was closed, so he sat outside on the stairs and said, “I have plenty of memories of this office. Our batch was the first to start the theatre festival with DU students. I was the treasurer, so this whole drama festival started with my signature.”

Pankaj said that he has worked a lot in television as well. He said, “Bahut saare aise scenes hai jismein mera ek ya aadha role hai ya phir main background mein hoon. Zero se shuru karna hai to koi dusra tareeka hai nahin. Lagta hai jo bhi uplabdhi hai, woh meri apni achievement hai. Mujhe koi guide karne wala ya koi godfather milta toh main thoda credit unko ko bhi deta. Mere godfather mere NSD ke teachers aur seniors hain.”

When a student asked the actor, “Aap screen pe acting karte waqt itna sehaj kaise reh lete hain?” He responded that it is important for an actor to train his mind and body and said, “Martial arts ka guru kitna shaant hota hai. Lagta nahi hai woh hinsak hai.”

He elaborated that he has acted in over 700 TV episodes, which familiarized him with the camera. When students spoke about stage fear, he told them that a little bit of fear is required because it keeps an actor under control and lets an actor explore. He said, “If you think that you know everything, the game’s over.”

A student wanted to know how Pankaj keeps his ego in check after achieving success. He said, “The oxygen that I’m taking in and the oxygen that the actor who’s not doing well is breathing is the same.Yeh safalta-asafalta sab yahi dhara ka dhara reh jayega, hans udd jayega akela (reference to Kabir’s poem). Ego bahut khatarnak cheez hoti hai aur actor mein thodi zyada hoti hai. Kis baat ka ghamand? Aisa kya achieve kar liya humne?”

Pankaj Tripathi has a way with words and he has never shied away from sharing his experiences. So, recently while shooting for Fukrey in Delhi, he took time off to visit IIT Kharagpur. The actor was invited to deliver a speech to the students where he spoke about his journey, the importance of following one’s journey, the need to take risks and doing what makes them happy above everything else.

Talking about the event, he shares, “I am approached for many events including college annual functions, dramatic society events, literature fests etc but I am unable to attend most due to my schedule. Yet when I got a call from IIT Kharagpur, I went ahead. It’s an honour to deliver a speech at such a prestigious educational institute of India and this really means a lot to me - motivating young minds is always a challenging task for anyone especially with the kind of generation that we are dealing with.”

He spoke in an open session taking on questions about a variety of topics. He admits, “I feel if listening to my life experiences can help anyone, then being a fellow citizen and ek kalakaar jo unko pasand hai, it is my duty to share what I can. We spoke about life, art, management, inspiration and many other aspects. Maine apni samaj aur gyaan ke according unko jawab diya.”

The Criminal Justice actor spoke about the importance of education in today’s times. He stressed on the fact that there should be clarity of thought when it comes to life and career goals for all students alike.

The actor says, “Today’s generation is equipped with modern and progressive knowledge but there are always things that the generations before that have experienced and seen over the years and are exposed with the information that they wish to share and the young generation can benefit from. It’s an exchange of knowledge and wisdom between the newer and experienced lot. I have always wanted a two way communication. I thoroughly enjoyed my session with the students and look forward to being a part of many more such events.”

Pankaj Tripathi had “fewer” releases this year, such as Kaagaz, Mimi and Bunty Aur Babli 2, compared to 2020, when he had six projects released. “Since the last few years, I’ve been on auto-pilot mode in life,” says the actor, talking about his schedule. He adds, “Though like many other people, we all dealt with the pandemic and had our struggles. This year, too, I have been shooting all year. I have reduced my working hours now as I realise I am doing too much work. I am planning to take a break soon, once I wrap up my current projects.”

Next year, he has a “couple of films and a few web shows” lined up, including Criminal Justice 2, Oh My God! 2 and Srijit Mukerji’s Sherdil. Admitting that he is working too much, he says, “Bahut jyada kaam kar raha hoon. I wonder why I am doing so much. At times, I do get the feeling that maybe I need to take it slower. In dino, mere andar ka actor bechain ho raha hai. I think it is because I am unable to say no to friends, or at times, the project and role offered are just fabulous, so I don’t want to let them go. In fact, at times, I keep taking on stuff till all the dates in my diary are booked. But I am trying to learn to say no.” 

Looking back at 2021, Tripathi is glad that he got a chance to “explore and reinvent” this year. “All the roles were varied, and I enjoyed shooting for each project,” he concludes.

First things first, Pankaj Tripathi makes it known that he doesn’t watch cricket. But therein lies the beauty of Kabir Khan’s '83 — it captures the spirit of the Indian cricket team perfectly, and looks set to convert even the most uninterested to a fan of the sport. Tripathi, who has stepped into the shoes of manager P R Man Singh for the retelling of India’s victory at the 1983 cricket World Cup, remembers being stumped by the script. “After reading the script, it almost felt as if [the Indian contingent] went there to develop a script rather than play the sport. It was undoubtedly a brilliant story,” says the actor.

The shoot of the Ranveer Singh-starrer was preceded by a boot camp that helped the actors pick up the sport. “I don’t watch cricket. We had vast written material to help us prep for our roles. I met Man sir in Hyderabad. When we went to Dharamshala for a 10-day boot camp, we met all the real-life players. That is when I attained all that I needed to play Man Singh. After I met Man Singh, my look was decided in half an hour. I stepped out of the vanity van [in my get-up], and Kabir Khan said, ‘We have found our Man Singh.’”

While Kapil Dev and his teammates have been widely celebrated over the decades for bringing the World Cup home, Tripathi hopes the sports drama will help people understand Singh’s role in the feat. “Everybody knows the contribution of each team member [on the field]. But people don’t know what went on in the green room, changing room and meeting room. People will know Man Singh’s contribution through the film.”

Actor Pankaj Tripathi doesn’t believe in working out to show off. For him, it’s all about staying fit. Tripathi says that he has become fitness conscious and has even built a home gym.

“Main bahut conscious hoon fitness ko lekar. And more so in the past two years, for two reasons. Firstly, I am above 45. Secondly, I had an injury and there were some complications,” reveals the Mimi actor, who further adds that he does “cardio at home” but quickly clarifies, “Par sab fitness ke liye, six ya eight-pack abs banane ke liye nahin.”

Although finding time to exercise is tough for Tripathi, he makes sure that he gets on with it after pack-up. “I don’t work out every day. I dedicate three days to yoga and two days to gymming. I walk as much as I can, ranging from 45 minutes to an hour, as it depends on the shooting. Kisi dubbing ke beech-beech mein kar leta hoon,” he laughs, adding, “Now, advertisements have also gotten added to my schedule, so it is tough to manage everything.”

Interestingly, the award-winning actor shares that he hasn’t yet been asked by any director in the past to undergo any physical transformation or even in present times where he plays a cricket coach in the upcoming 1983 cricket World Cup biopic, ’83.

“Aisa kabhi nahin hua, aur na aisa karna pada kisi film mein mujhe. I haven’t got any role where the director said, ‘Mota ho ja ya patla ho ja’. I play a coach in ’83, I have a different look in it. Body type and weight had nothing to do with that, but it’s only to do with the craft of acting,” he concludes.

His repertoire is as eclectic as it is robust, making one wonder what Pankaj Tripathi seeks in a script. The actor says he has a simple ask from every project — he is merely looking for “good company”. Once that is met, he can be lured in by his character. 'Mimi', led by Kriti Sanon, was one of those films that ticked both boxes. “In this film, Laxman Utekar [director] was the [driving] factor. We bonded over our similar backgrounds; he comes from rural Maharashtra, and I, from Bihar. Kriti was another draw. Bareilly Ki Barfi [2017] was the start of a different vein of films for her. She has matured vastly as an actor since,” begins Tripathi.

The comedy sees Sanon as a small-town dancer who agrees to become a surrogate mother for a couple, but the journey isn’t without hilarious twists. Quiz him if the small-town sub-genre has been over-exploited, and Tripathi disagrees with the generalisation. “How can a film be gauged by its landscape? The story matters more than the milieu. Small-town stories aren’t a formula. If [a maker] feels that setting a story in an old house with a loud dadi and chachis will sell a film, that won’t happen. Today, the audience will reject bad stories.”

The trailer of the Jio Cinema offering was lapped up by the audience, with a fan cheekily tweeting, ‘Someone check on Pankaj Tripathi. He must be tired of shouldering the weight of so many films.’ The statement may not be too far from the truth — the actor has often elevated films by his able performances. “I take pride in being a dependable actor. I am flattered. But doing eight films a year and shooting for 350 days had drained me. The lockdown made me realise the need for weekly offs and my own inability to perform consistently for 30 days a month. I want my makers and the audience to trust me, and for that to continue, I have to be consistent.”

Long before OTT space became the go-to medium for entertainment, Pankaj Tripathi had started exploring the digital sphere – finding a new meaning and high for his career. The actor credits the medium for tapping his full potential, which the world of cinema overlooked, and believes that now is the time for the two mediums to coexist.

“OTT has played a very big role in shaping my career, and the position I am in today,” admits Tripathi, who embarked on his showbiz journey with a brief role in film, Run (2004), and has since come a long way.

After a few fleeting appearances in films, he got noticed in Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur in 2012, and went on to do Fukrey (2013), Masaan (2015), and Newton (2017). But it is the OTT platform which got him his first big poster.

“Mujhe yaad hai ke pehli baar jo mere bade poster lage the woh Mirzapur ke liye the... I was doing cinema for so many years before that, and was part of many movies, but filmon ne kabhi woh nahi socha mere liye,” he shares, adding, “Gangs Of Wasseypur ke poster mein main chota sa kinare mein dikhta tha. And whenever I used to look at it, toh mujhe sirf main hi dikhta tha.”

Here, Tripathi clears that it wasn’t about the size but the presence. “Yeh nahi ki main apne ko poster pe dekhne ke liye mara ja raha tha, but who doesn’t like to see one’s presence on the poster,” he says.

The world of OTT gave him position and star power. “Unhone mujhe us layak samjha,” he points.

On digital space, Tripathi, 44, has carved a success story through varied characters, be it the dreaded gangster Kaleen Bhaiya of Mirzapur or the lovable lawyer fighting for the right in Criminal Justice.

Even during the lockdown last year, he had his hands full with projects including Ludo, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, among others, releasing on the web.

“At a time when people were locked inside their house, looking for some entertainment, OTT rose to the occasion and gave something to look forward to. I was one actor whose six-seven projects released during that duration,” he reveals.

Amid conversations about OTT turning out to be a threat to the big screen, Tripathi, 44, emphasises on their USPs. “They both have their own good points. Theatre ka apna community viewing ka maza hai, aur OTT ka individual viewing ka ek alag anand hai,” he shares.

Asserting that both can exist together, he adds, “OTT space is not at all a threat to the big screen. They can coexist. Hum festival toh roz nahi manate na, cinema is that kind of festival. It is about community viewing,”

Next, he has films such as ‘83, Bunty Aur Babli 2, Mimi and Bachchan Pandey in the offing, but he doesn’t know the fate or the release plan of his projects.

“I don’t know which of my projects will release first. I’ve no clue about it. Filhal log meri film, Kaagaz, dekh rahe hain aur appreciate kar rahe. I’m getting messages from everywhere,” he signs off.

A while ago, actor Vineet Kumar Singh took to social media to request help in arranging medication for his friends and family affected by Covid-19 in his hometown, Varanasi. Shortly after, actor Pankaj Tripathi reached out to his Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl (2020) co-star and helped him out.

Tripathi tells us, “Vineet is a friend. I reached out to him and asked about the situation back in Banaras. I share a long association with the city and I know many people, including journalists, there. So, I contacted a few people and that’s how we arranged for the medicines.”

But what baffled the actor is how the gesture immediately made news. “It’s a very basic thing that I did for him. I didn’t expect that it would make to news headlines. Vineet took to social media to thank me and that’s how people got to know about it. That’s the power of social media,” he shares.

The 44-year-old actor has eight projects in the pipeline. And speculations are rife that one of his upcoming films, Mimi, which was slated for a theatrical release, is now headed the digital way. Talking about it, he says, “I’m not aware of the release of Mimi yet. But the experience of watching a film on the big screen is magical. It has the power to make an emotional scene even more emotional and a comic scene even more comical. The joy of watching a film in a dark room full of people is unparalleled.”

Tripathi shares that even though he has a packed schedule ahead, he has been spending his time reading scripts. “When people approach me with new scripts, I feel sad telling them that I’m busy over the time of the next year-and-a-half years. Apart from that, I’ve been reading a lot of literature and planning to watch Seema Pahwa ji’s film next,” he concludes.

In his nearly two decade-long film career, Pankaj Tripathi has lived through several moments of success as well as failure and today, he feels, they no longer belong to him. The actor says his journey is now out there inspiring people to trust their dream, follow their passion.

“All the ups and downs of my journey were worth it. Meri journey, success aur failure, mere apne liye hain, but woh motivation aur umeed bahut saare bacchon ko de rahi hai,” admits Tripathi.

There was a time when he made fleeting appearances in films, till he got noticed in Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012). Cut to 2021, he has etched a successful success story on the big screen as well in the OTT space.

“For years, I was fighting a very personal battle for my career, and to make a name as an actor. And my journey and achievements have given a ray of hope to several people out there who now believe that nothing is impossible,” shares the 44-year-old.

The actor has got a new way of looking at his personal struggles. “It was my selfishness to become an actor. But, now I don’t look at it as something which is personal. Jis tarah mujhe bahut saare actors aur logon ki journey ne inspire kiya tha, waise ab meri journey doosron ko inspire kar rahi hai,” says the actor, who has films such as ’83, Bunty Aur Babli 2 and Mimi lined up.

Over the years, as he collected several experiences, he also gathered lots of learnings, which he says can fill a 300-page book. “It’s very difficult to bring out the gist. But if I’ve to say one, it would be to always keep the hope within you alive. Sab kuch hota hai, bas waqt lagta hai,” he muses.

Today, Tripathi doesn’t belong to any particular box, nor does he come with the conventional idea of a hero or a villain. Yet, he’s one of the most bankable stars in Hindi cinema. In fact, when the pandemic brought the world to a standstill last year, Tripathi continued to entertain the audience with his diverse projects, such as Mirzapur 2, Ludo, Extraction, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors and Kaagaz.

But when it comes to failure or success, he doesn’t fret over either. “I’m detached from it. I do things for my happiness... jaise apni beti ke saath shaam ko ghar ke paas ek shaant se beach pe sunset dekhne jana. Main woh karta hoon jo mujhe mere liye important lagta hai. Isiliye, mujhe success aur failure se bahut zyada asar nahi hota,” says Tripathi, adding he ensures he spends such moments with his family whenever he gets the time.

Pankaj Tripathi is an established and celebrated actor today, but that was not the case during the initial years of his career. He had to struggle to make a place in the industry. “There was a time when I survived solely on my wife’s salary and I see absolutely no harm in doing so. My wife and daughter have impacted my life in the best way possible,” says the actor, known for his sensitive and subtle performances in films such as Nil Battey Sannata (2016), Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017), Newton (2017), and Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl (2020).

Tripathi has often talked about his wife and daughter, both being his pillars of strength. His wife, too, has gone on to talk about how he’s a great father and an equally caring and encouraging husband. Coming from a simple background, the Ludo (2020) actor has often shed light upon several important aspects of our society and this time, being a feminist himself, he has expressed his views on the importance of teaching feminism to boys from a young age.

“I feel that parents put all their energies into grooming and teaching their daughters how to behave themselves but when it comes to boys, it’s not given the same importance as it needs. In today’s education curriculum, I think the inclusion of feminism is a must for all young boys. If this is done, we won’t have to “save” our daughters any more,” he says.

In a country where gender-based crimes have been rampant for a very long time, this deep-rooted problem is said to be a result of social conditioning. Tripathi feels that “feminism, which talks of equal rights and opportunities for men and women, is a concept that should be instilled in boys just as strongly as girls”. “Boys need to learn right from the beginning that no gender is ever superior or inferior. Respecting the other genders as well as empowering each other should be taught early on, not just to girls but to young boys as well. To see the existence of such a large gender disparity in our country needs immediate attention and change,” he says.