Pankaj Tripathi Birthday Special: 7 Memorable Characters the Sacred Games Actor Has Gifted Us That We Are Quite Thankful For!
Pankaj Tripathi has started off his Bollywood career (in 2004) with small supporting roles and later into negative characters. His role of Sultan Qureshi in Anurag Kashyap's epic Gangs of Wasseypur got him a lot of notice in the industry, and so did his negative character in Hrithik Roshan's Agneepath.
There is this popular dialogue in Shah Rukh Khan's Om Shanti Om, which goes 'Agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaaho to puri kayanat usey tumse milane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai!" Such is the case with Pankaj Tripathi and stardom. Pankaj Tripathi has been one of those 'outsiders' whose perseverance and hard work, gelled with immense talent, has made him one of the most sought after stars in the industry right now. And as he graduated from being a struggler to earning a Special Mention at National Awards (for Newton), Pankaj Tripathi hasn't lost his humility and determination to take more risks. Mimi First Look! Kriti Sanon Reunites with Pankaj Tripathi for Luka Chuppi Director’s Next Film on Surrogacy (See Pic).
Pankaj Tripathi has started off his Bollywood career (in 2004) with small supporting roles and later into negative characters. His role of Sultan Qureshi in Anurag Kashyap's epic Gangs of Wasseypur got him a lot of notice in the industry, and so did his negative character in Hrithik Roshan's Agneepath. He slowly moved into doing likeable supporting roles in films like Masaan, Bareilly Ki Barfi, Fukrey, Dilwale, Nil Battey Sannata, Stree, and so on, winning him a lot of appreciation. At the same time, Pankaj Tripathi also didn't stop himself from taking on roles that have intense grey shades in them, quite recently in the divisive Sacred Games 2. And in the process, he gave us some very interesting characters and roles that are hard to forget. Sacred Games 2: Pankaj Tripathi Auditions for the Roles of Ganesh Gaitonde and Bunty in This Hilarious Video and Proves He's the Perfect Fit for Guruji.
As Pankaj Tripathi turns 43 on September 5, 2019, we look at the seven memorable characters the actor has gifted us both in movies, as well as web-series.
Sultan Qureshi (Gangs of Wasseypur)
Gangs of Wasseypur saga is filled with iconic characters ranging from Sardar Khan (Manoj Bajpayee) to Faisal (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) to Durga (Reema Sen). Among them is the terrifying Sultan Qureshi, the butcher of Wasseypur, whose side job, apart from killing people, is also literally that - butchering animals. Just one look of his is enough for everyone to know this is a man not to be messed with, and Pankaj Tripathi nails that aspect perfectly.
Principal Srivastava (Nil Battey Sannata)
From killing people mercilessly to teaching students properly, that is quite a transition. The sweet Nil Battey Sannata, directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, is led by a wonderful Swara Bhasker and the young Ria Shukla, but Pankaj Tripathi also stands out as the strict but considerate headmaster who has an eye for talent.
Atma Singh (Newton)
Newton may not have the commercial trappings of some of the films in this list. But it is an intriguing intake of how the election process is carried out in interiors of certain states, led by a fine leading performance from Rajkummar Rao. But if there is someone who owns the movie, it is Tripathi! The character of Pankaj Tripathi, who plays the leader of a CRPF unit, has shades of grey, but we really can't blame him for his various manipulations in the film, just so that he can protect his unit from Naxal attacks. And Pankaj is truly excellent in the role, perhaps his finest performance to date.
Narottam Mishra (Bareilly Ki Barfi)
A little complaint I have with this enjoyable romcom, featuring Rajkummar Rao, Ayushmann Khurrana and Kriti Sanon, is that it could have used Pankaj Tripathi more. The man is so adorable as the father of the female lead, who bonds with her like no one else, over borrowed cigarettes and boyfriend troubles. And his interactions with his wife (an equally wonderful Seema Pahwa) are hilarious.
Rudra (Stree)
We expected him to be more of Father Lankester Merrin from The Exorcist. Instead, Rudra, the self-proclaimed know-it-all about the murderous supernatural entity Stree, is more Oda Mae Brown from Ghost. Which is what we like about him so much - when not in precarious situations, he brims with confidence. But put him in a spooky situation and he behaves like any one of us - scared shitless! And Tripathi sells both the facets of his character quite easily.
Kaleen Bhaiya (Mirzapur)
The Amazon Prime Original gangster drama series made us believe that it is making Pankaj Tripathi underplay himself as the resident don of Mirzapur. Apart from throwing zingers like 'Vishudh Ch***ye Ladke Ho Tum!' and acting sternly throughout, we really don't get why Kaleen Bhaiya is such a big deal. That is, until the final episode arrives and we get to see him abandon his cloak of inhibition to show the real menace hidden within himself. Needless to say, we are eagerly waiting for season 2.
Guru Ji (Sacred Games)
One of the biggest complaints I have heard about season 2 of the Netflix show is that it hasn't properly utilised Pankaj Tripathi. Which isn't true, 'cos I feel the show hasn't used him the way you expected him to be used. You may have wanted him to be someone like Leeladhar Swamy from OMG - Oh My God!, instead he was more of a subtler take on Lancaster Dodd from The Master but with genocidal intentions. And not once did Pankaj Tripathi break his character to become otherwise. It is definitely the riskiest role that the actor has done, and the many memes made on him and Nawazuddin Siddiqui will show you why!
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 05, 2019 01:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).