From gangster dramas to family entertainers, from indie gems to classics, Pankaj Tripathi is the trump card in all of them. The actor has made a name for himself for his scene-stealing supporting performances and lead roles, and on his birthday, we couldn’t help but talk about our favorites.
Bareilly Ki Barfi
Of all the desserts served in this Ashwini Iyer Tiwari movie, Pankaj Tripathi was perhaps the real barfi. Pure sweetness, undiluted and nothing else. Pankaj played the father of Kriti Sanon’s smoking and break dancing Bitti. He was such a progressive man, the kind you might not even find in the proudest metropolitan cities, much less on the terraces of Bareilly.
Taking the toilet in one scene and sharing cigarettes with his daughter in another, Pankaj effortlessly switched between the dad we all know and the dad we’ve always loved. He is a friend because he lights you a cigarette, he listens to your boy’s problems and also dad when he blames you every time the power goes out. Bareilly Ki Barfi is among Pankaj’s best and smoothest works and is a delicious treat.
Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl
Pankaj Tripathi may not be ‘daddy’s age’, the actor is 45 years old in real life, but he sure knows how to bring parents to life on screen, from those who are the wind under the wings of their descendants to those who clip those same wings. without a thought. In The Kargil Girl, it was the latter that he enthusiastically played with. His Anup Saxena looks a lot like Pankaj in real life: unhurried and focused. He’s ready to push his daughter’s dreams forward, but he’s too scared to realize them. Whatever your take on the politics of the movie, and the spectrum is pretty wide here, one thing everyone agreed on was the spontaneity and stillness that Pankaj brought to the role.
Gurgaon
Pankaj Tripathi’s role in Gurgaon is nuanced by Mirzapur’s Kaleen Bhaiya.
When Pankaj Tripathi played tycoon Kehri Singh in Shanker Raman’s neo-noir thriller Gurgaon, he laid the seeds for a future starring role in the much more popular Mirzapur. The film came at a time when the actor was still best known for his character roles, including in Gurgaon, playing a Don Corleone-style supporting figure for the lead Akshay Oberoi. But the film not only features one of the most gripping performances of the actor’s career, it is also an underrated gem worth your time, and alongside Manorama: Six Feet Under, Monsoon Shootout, and Raat Akeli Hai, one of the best modern artists. You are likely to watch Indian film noir dramas.
Newton
Pankaj Tripathi, Rajkummar Rao and Raghubir Yadav in Newton.
Pankaj Tripathi belongs to the legion of artists who see themselves only as actors, not stars. By portraying characters, good or bad, Pankaj brings so much conviction that it is difficult to see the person; all you see is the character. One of those roles that comes to mind is the movie, Newton. Playing an officer from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) stationed in an area affected by Naxal, the character of Pankaj is a good example of cynicism and cunning. His Aatma Singh is the antithesis of Rajkummar Rao’s Nutan (Newton) Kumar. If the second brings idealism, even in the most hostile circumstances, the first brings alertness and hatred to the table in equal measure. Nutan Kumar wants the vote to take place, while Aatma Singh does his best to rule out any possibility of villagers lining up to vote. Aatma Singh just doesn’t want more work, in an area that no one cares about. It’s hard not to empathize with Aatma Singh when he tells Newton that there are more landmines in the area than there are men. It’s hard not to see his perspective when he says he doesn’t want more of his men killed, as the government can’t even provide night vision goggles in such hostile terrain.
Stree
Pankaj Tripathi in a Stree frame
The strongly feminist and hilarious horror comedy Stree laughed louder thanks to Pankaj Tripathi, who played the wise librarian and resident spirit expert, Rudra Bhaiya. Not only did he bring the role to life with his deadpan expression and delightfully funny manner, but he also gave it his personal touch. Did you know that the joke about how Stree knows the name of all his targets – ‘sab ka Aadhaar link hai uske paas (she has access to everyone’s Aadhaar details)’ – was not part of the original script but was improvised by him ? ? “This was not in the script. Yeh dialogue Pankaj Tripathi ka hi hai (This is my dialogue)! I added that punchline to make the character more fun, ”she had told India Today.
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