Divya
Pankaj Tripathi stole hearts with his recent performance in ‘Mimi’ but he’s the undefeated king of versatility when it comes to acting.
Today, the handsome actor turns 45 years old and we’re going to give you a very interesting trivia about him!
In an interview, Pankaj spoke about his acting journey and said, “There was a time when I used to keep my phone at a spot in my house where the possibility of good network was the strongest, so that I don’t miss any call. I used to wait for phone calls from casting directors and ADs (assistant directors), but days used to pass without my phone ringing. Today, the situation is such that I cannot answer many calls. But I’m the same actor who struggled in Mumbai and waited for my phone to ring. I am still a villager who fell in love with acting.”
Pankaj’s journey to stardom wasn’t through the fast and easy road. He was initially working in the kitchen of a hotel while persuing theatre at the same time. “I used to work in a hotel kitchen at night and do theatre in the morning. After finishing my night shift – I did it for two years – I used to come back and sleep for five hours and then do theatre from 2-7 pm and then again hotel work from 11-7 in the morning,” Pankaj explains.
Pankaj also remembers how he had to look for free acting classes as his father would never give him money to be trained. He eventually enrolled himself into the National School of Drama (NSD), where the basic requirement for enrolment was graduation. “So now I thought I have to be a graduate if I want to continue acting. After 12th, I stopped studying and had done hotel management training. So I enrolled myself to a college again, completed my graduation in Hindi literature while doing night shift and also plays in the day,” Pankaj continued.
In college, he joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the BJP’s campus wing, and was jailed for a week for taking part in a student’s movement. The small jail barrack opened up an entirely different world for Tripathi.
He spoke about his jail experience saying, “You don’t have anything to do in jail. No meeting, no cooking, not doing anything. You are completely alone. When a man is extremely lonely, he starts discovering himself. I met myself in those seven days. When I started reading Hindi literature, I realised how alienated I was to this world. That completely changed me.”
In 2004, Pankaj was an NSD graduate and made his way to Mumbai on October 16 that year with Rs 46,000 in his pocket, but a lot of dreams in his eyes. By December 25, however, he had only Rs 10 left with him.
He recalls, “I remember the date because it was my wife’s birthday and I didn’t even have the money to buy a cake or a gift. When people like me come to this city, after theatre training and life experiences, they always remember important dates.”
Tripathi explains how all he wanted to do is run a family. “I wanted to earn just enough to pay rent. I didn’t come here to become a star. I was clear that I wanted to act and run a family. I knew I can survive in Hindi cinema through acting. So I was waiting, always, with every film to show what I am capable of. Survival is important, art is secondary. If you aren’t alive, how can you create art? I was constantly polishing my craft.“
After a string of not-so-good ventures, his major breakthrough came with his role in the blockbuster Gangs of Wasseypur. After that, the rest is history.
