Pankaj Tripathi is a perfect example of rising from the ashes. Born in a village in Bihar, Tripathi is from a very humble household who has now starred in many acclaimed works of Hindi film industry. He debuted in an uncredited Bollywood movie Run but his remarkable acting skills caught the attention of the audience after Gangs of Wasseypur where he played an antagonist role.
Son of a farmer, Pankaj Tripathi too learnt farming as a young boy. He grew up and moved to Patna to study at the Institute of Hotel Management. Despite an array of jobs that he did to pay his bills, his heart was in acting. Since childhood, his skills of drama and acting were appreciated at large that further convinced him of his capabilities. He took a huge leap of faith and moved to Delhi to get an official degree from National School of Drama. He graduated in 2004 and moved to Mumbai to live his dream. Some stumble upon stardom easily while others may have to work way too many extra miles before stumbling across deserved appreciation. Story of Pankaj Tripathi is an example of the latter. The Gurgaon actor graced the Indian audience with his acting and contributed to the film industry too. The actor who, after the first few movies came to be closely related to negative antagonistic roles broke the stereotype and proved his versatility in other movies.
Before the audience showered him with loved and acknowledgement, Pankaj was also seen in movies like Apaharan, Omkara, Dharm, Mithya Shaurya etc. but he did not catch the attention of the audience. Perhaps that is why Pankaj Tripathi’s dedication and resilience are elements of respect. No amount of failure stopped him from being enthusiastic and optimistic for his next work. Let us look into to Tripathi’s praiseworthy works that won him national appreciation and applaud.
Gangs of Wasseypur 1 and 2– The movie series that brought focus on Tripathi was Gangs of Wasseypur which portrayed him as a crimelord, Sultan Qureshi. It was released in 2014 and the movie was produced and directed by Anurag Kashyap.
Sacred Games– Directed by Anurag Kashyap, this series took the people by the storm. The series and its success did justice to many underrated actors including Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Pankaj Tripathi.
Powder– Tripathi, who earned the name for his negative roles brought a slight constructional change to his acting in 2010 series Powder which gained more audience after Gangs of Wasseypur and can be currently found in Netflix. The villain here is a layered character. A depth is detectable in Pankaj Tripathi’s acting that makes the audience grudgingly sympathise with villain.
Bareilly ki Barfi– After several negatives, Pankaj broke the stereotype by doing a role completely different. In this 2017 movie, Tripathi is seen playing the part of a supportive father who adores hid daughter and never wished he had a son instead. From patiently supporting the whims of his daughter to having a heart to heart conversation with her about love and life, this father gave a glimpse of the father every daughter wished for.
Gunjan Saxena– In this 2020 movie that was released on OTT platform, Tripathi again played the part of a role model father who gave wings to his daughter’s dreams without any criticism.
Pankaj Tripathi debuted in Tamil cinema in 2018 with the movie Kaala. The ultra-talented actor broke the boundaries of wealth and background and won hearts of thousand with purely his acting. Despite starting a little late, this actor has finally claimed what was long due to him. He can be seen in movies like Masaan and Stree and Web Series like Mirzapur.
