Mirzapur actor Pankaj Tripathi on 10 years of Gangs of Wasseypur and finding success in Bollywood

The Bihar-born actor has become a favourite of cinema-goers and OTT viewers alike, with stellar acts in movies such as Masaan, Stree, Ludo and Gunjan Saxena

A magazine shoot is in progress near the swimming pool of a resort near Aksa Beach in Mumbai. However, unlike the nervous, frenzied energy usually associated with such shoots, the mood here is relaxed and easy, much of which can be attributed to the man in front of the camera–Pankaj Tripathi. The gangster of Mirzapur, the inspiring father of Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl and the coach of the Indian cricket team of 83 dutifully follows the photographer’s instructions as he asks him to look ahead, turn his head or walk slowly towards him.

When the overcast sky threatens a downpour and the crew pause for a break, a young man who had been watching all the action from a corner hesitatingly approaches Tripathi with a slight smile on his face. “Sir, hum aap ke Bihar se hain,” he says, to which Tripathi responds, “Bihar toh Nitish Kumar ka hai.” It is this quick repartee that reminds us of the popular ‘Aadhar card’ dialogue from the movie Stree which Tripathi had famously improvised on the spot.

There is something really endearing about Tripathi’s demeanour and craft that makes him stand heads taller than his counterparts. From his humble beginnings in the district of Gopalganj in Bihar to the glitz and glamour of the Hindi film industry in Mumbai, the 47-year-old has managed to take it all in his stride, never letting success go to his head. Talk to his co-actors or the people who manage his work and all of them agree about one thing–that he has stayed as humble and grounded as he was when he first came here.

One of the most sought-after-actors in Bollywood, Tripathi’s residence is at Madh Island itself, just a few kilometres away from where the shoot is happening. During the lunch break in his sea-facing room at the resort, Tripathi adjusts two easy chairs on the balcony for us to sit and talk. Ahead of us, the dull, grey waves crash and dance along the shore. “I stay away from the chaos of the city. You will not see me at parties. At times, I am scared to tell people my reality because people might think that even my modesty is a marketing gimmick. The world is like that. You don’t trust anything or anyone very quickly,” he shares.

The big move

It was 18 years ago after studying at the National School of Drama in New Delhi that Tripathi made his way to Mumbai. Unlike many others who end up here, the actor remembers the exact day and date of his arrival in the city of opportunities. “It was October 16, 2004 when I reached Mumbai Central at 7.30 am by the Paschim Express,” he says with a smile, “It was a big decision of my life. I was newly married. I had come from zero. I didn’t know what would happen, when I would get an opportunity or how people would get to know that I am an actor. When you make a move towards uncertainty, then you remember that day well,” he adds.

Fond of theatre right from his school days, Tripathi found inspiration in Manoj Bajpayee whose success in movies like Satya and Shool had made him a household name. “Manoj bhaiyya hails from my village’s neighbouring district, Champaran. When somebody from your village or district makes it big in any field, then you think that if they can do it, you can too. Unki safalta se humein haunsla mila,” he recalls. Recently, when Tripathi visited his hometown, he was told that some 200 youngsters from his village are studying and preparing to enter the film industry. “Maybe I am the inspiration behind their decision. That’s what life is about. Sometimes you get inspired by someone’s journey and sometimes your journey inspires others,” he says.

Outsiders’ struggles are often well-documented but the actor has never tried to romanticise his. Acting jobs might have been fewer and difficult to get but he looks back on those days with a certain fondness. “I never had to struggle for the basics. It was never about how we will pay the room rent or whether we will have food on the table,” says Tripathi, whose wife used to be a teacher. In the evenings, the couple and their young daughter would go out on his bike. “We used to stay in a 1BHK in Charkop those days. I bought that house later and we still have it. You can see the sky from all the windows,” says the actor who recalls having a view of a building from a tiny window of his house in the initial days of coming to Mumbai. “After that, all the houses I stayed in have had clear views of the sky,” he says with a smile.

Between 2004 and 2012, Tripathi did smaller roles in approximately 15-16 films, including uncredited roles in Run and Chigurida Kanasu (Kannada). When he received a call from casting director Mukesh Chhabra’s office for the role of butcher and henchman Sultan Qureshi in Gangs of Wasseypur, the actor assumed it would be yet another addition to the list. He had no clue then of the cult status Anurag Kashyap’s crime drama–which recently completed ten years–would attain and what a turning point it would prove for his career.

We’re curious to know if in the years prior to GoW, Tripathi ever felt disappointed or insecure of his profession. The actor shakes his head with a smile and one can see this is no act. “I never expect too much from anything. I don’t get wings when the going is good, nor do I get worried when nothing is happening. I don’t go into extremes,” he says, adding that he has more emotional stability than a lot of people.

Cementing his position

Post GoW, Tripathi was seen in memorable roles in movies such as Fukrey, Manjhi: The Mountain Man, Masaan, Nil Battey Sannata and Anarkali of Aarah. Newton fetched him a Special Mention at the 65th National Film Awards in 2018 and Gurgaon saw him play his first role as a lead actor. Did he feel something had changed inside him then? “It didn’t then but I think it has changed a bit now. Now, when I am offered a lead role, I ask for the bound script. It has happened in the past that I have heard a good story but the project has not lived up to it. There are times when I have felt that the script needs more work and the reviews justified my opinion. But I am just an actor–a very small part of the film. People feel that it is an actor’s film because we are the ones they see on screen but in reality, it is the writer, director and producer’s film,” he shares.

It’s easier for an actor to display their craft than to explain the process behind it. Tripathi, too, finds it tedious. “It’s very organic. Sometimes we don’t even know where the preparation of a character begins and how we do it,” he says. Elaborating on some of the different methods actors use, he says that either one can approach the character from a distance or submerge into it completely. Speaking for himself, he says he is a “switch on, switch off types”. “I cannot lock myself inside a room for six days to think about a character. There is a room inside my head. I close that and use my imagination, which is a very strong part of acting and its craft. Agar dariya mein koi kirdaar gira ho toh uske liye paanch din hum dariya mein jaakar thode rahenge. I can even imagine it in a swimming pool,” he chuckles, adding that the sea analogy struck him because it’s right in front of us.

Different strokes

In 2018, Tripathi made a smooth transition from the big screen to the digital medium with the web series Sacred Games. Since then, shows such as the extremely popular Mirzapur and Criminal Justice have only strengthened his OTT game. Although he enjoys both mediums, the actor finds OTT extremely satisfying for what it allows in terms of sub-plots, layering and detailing. “Acting is acting, whether in films or on digital platforms but in the latter, one gets a lot of time to explore a character and the scene,” says Tripathi. Ask him if he has any more Hollywood aspirations after being a part of the 2020 film Dhaka also starring Chris Hemsworth, and he says simply, “Nobody has called. If anyone calls, I will see and if there is time, then why not?”

The self-proclaimed restless actor says it has been his choice to slow down post-pandemic. “I am completing my old commitments but yes, I will take it a little slower now,” says Tripathi, adding that his wish-list includes working with director Imtiaz Ali. For now, he wants to focus on good work and not get typecast into doing similar roles. “After Mirzapur, I got so many offers for gangster roles. That show is already so popular, why would I want to do another like that? Kitna gangster banoonga? So when a film like Gunjan Saxena or Mimi comes my way, then that is something I feel happy doing. The audience is secondary; first it is me who needs to be engaged. So when I see something I think I will get bored doing, I just say chalo hatao, aage badho!”

Tripathi might have decided to slow down but with Oh My God 2, Fukrey 3 and the next seasons of Criminal Justice and Mirzapur in the pipeline, the actor’s fans can expect to see a lot more of him in theatres as well as on digital platforms.

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