Pankaj Tripathi was born on September 5, 1976 in the village of Belsand in Bihar's Gopalganj District. His father was a farmer and a Hindu priest. Pankaj Tripathi who was born as Pankaj Tiwari did a course in Hotel Management in Hajipur before he enrolled in the National School Of Drama. Besides acting, he is a good cook as well. Tripathi's journey began with small roles in many big films like Bunty Aur Babli (2005), Omkara (2006), Raavan (2010) to name a few. He played a pivotal character on the show on Sony TV, Powder. He has also worked with Mohit Sehgal and Shiny Doshi in Sarojini - Ek Nayi Pehal. ‘Mirzapur Season 3’ Review: Pankaj Tripathi and Ali Fazal’s Prime Video Series ‘Lacks the Spark’, Say Critics.

His work has acquired cult status with fans over time. People are crazy about the evil and menacing Kaleen Bhaiya from the superhit web series, Mirzapur. At the same time, they adore all the films where he has played a loving and supportive father figure. Here is a look at some of them....

‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’

Released in 2017, Bareilly Ki Barfi was a critical and commercial hit, Pankaj Tripathi played the role of Narottam Mishra, the father of Bitti (Kriti Sanon) who is the most loving and coolest father a girl can imagine of. He lets his daughter follow her heart as she tries to find true love. His scenes with Seema Pahwa and Rajkummar Rao were hilarious. Rao also won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor award for the movie.

Rajkummar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi Were a Hoot in the Film

'Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl'

Pankaj Tripathi has played a great father in many films, but many feel he was the real heart and soul of Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl. He aced the role of Lieutenant Colonel Anup Kumar Saxena who stands like a pillar behind his daughter as she tries to fulfill her dream of joining the Indian Airforce.

Watch the Trailer of ‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl’

‘OMG 2’

One of the best films of 2023, this Akshay Kumar, Pankaj Tripathi, Yami Gautam movie grossed over INR 200 crores worldwide. OMG 2, a comedy-drama about sex education was set in the milieu of the traditional Indian middle class. Pankaj Tripathi aced the dialect, and his dialogue delivery was top-tier in this Amit Rai movie. He played a father who defends his son who gets expelled from school after sexual misdemeanour.

Pankaj Tripathi Was Terrific As This Distraught Father Who Fights Back

‘Mimi’

Kriti Sanon and Pankaj Tripathi both won National Awards for their wonderful performances in Mimi (2021). In the film, Kriti Sanon played the part of Mimi who finds a solid support in Bhanu Pratap Pandey/Naseeruddin as she deals with surrogate motherhood. While they did not play a couple per se, Bhanu Pratap (Pankaj Tripathi) was the protective father-like figure in Mimi's life.

Kriti Sanon and Pankaj Tripathi Did Stupendous Job in ‘Mimi’

‘Fukrey’

Fans also love Narayan Pandit from the Fukrey franchise. He is the one who plans and often rescues the gang when they invite serious trouble. Pankaj Tripathi's impeccable comic timing is one of the reasons for the franchise's success throughout the years.

'Fukrey' Is One of the Most Successful Franchises of Current Bollywood

In his real life, he is a doting husband and father to a daughter. Pankaj Tripathi's latest work Stree 2 with Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Abhishek Banerjee is minting big bucks at the box office. We wish him a Happy Birthday!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 05, 2024 08:25 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).