Pankaj Tripathi Birthday Special: Stree, Gangs of Wasseypur, Newton - 5 Terrific Performances From The Wonderful Actor That Deserved All The Accolades

While many cry nepotism when it comes to Bollywood, we also often forget that this is also a time when 'outsider' actors, with true talent, dedication and hard work, are also getting their time to shine in the spotlight. Sure, they don't have the glitzy debut a Janhvi Kapoor or a Tiger Shroff has, and they might have started with small or supporting roles. However, when it comes to credibility, they are often considered above the Bollywood-family affiliated actors and are mostly critic-proof. Like, take Pankaj Tripathi for example!

The star, who got appreciated recently at the National Awards 2018 for Newton, had started off in small roles, mostly as the secondary antagonist. He had made his acting debut with a small role in Run. While he did supporting roles in movies like Omkara, Raavan, Aakrosh, and Chillar Party, his negative role in Agneepath brought him a lot of notice. However, it was with 2012's Gangs of Wasseypur that fortune began to shine more brightly in this awesome actor. And now in Stree, Pankaj is being hailed as the movie's MVP.

The talented actor is celebrating his 42nd birthday today. So on this special occasion, we look at five of his roles that we have found to be standouts in his career graph.

Sultan Qureshi in Gangs of Wasseypur I & II

Before GOW, Pankaj Tripathi has done antagonistic roles. However, they didn't bring out the chills that his minimal-speaking character did in this Anurag Kashyap saga, as he butchered animals and humans without even flinching a bit. While Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Richa Chadha and Tigmanshu Dhulia shined in lead parts, Pankaj was one of the few actors in the film who made the most impact in the supporting roles.

Srivastava in Nil Battey Sannata

I was tempted to put up Pankaj's adorable father act from Bareilly Ki Barfi here. However, he showed far more nuance in this other movie from director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari. As the strict but well-meaning principal, Pankaj Tripathi delivered smiles while also making sure that his character doesn't get caricaturish. We still can't get over how he pronounces 'is equal to' while teaching!

Atma Singh in Newton

Rajkummar Rao was excellent in as the rule-abiding election officer in Newton. However, our pick in Newton was Pankaj Tripathi's wily NSG commander. Once again, he took on a role that could have ended up as just a villain and instead adds so many layers, making Atma Singh the most interesting character in the film. His actions and intent might be exactly the opposite of the lead hero, but he is a product of the system's lax attitude and his motivations are more to save the skins of his commando unit men.

Kehri Singh in Gurgaon

It's troubling to know that Gurgaon flew under the radar on its release, and people only talked about the movie, when they finally caught on to some of the good reviews. Pankaj is excellent in this low-budget crime drama - a hard-hearted, shrewd real-estate tycoon who uses his own children for expanding his business.

Rudra Bhaiyya in Stree

Thanks to Nil Battey Sannata and Bareilly Ko Barfi, we have discovered the comic streak in Pankaj Tripathi. And in Stree, we see his ability to make us laugh used to the best effect. As the 'Stree' expert Rudra Bhaiya, every line that comes out his mouth is a hysterical gem and is guaranteed to make you go ROFL. So looking forward to see him in the announced Stree sequel.

On behalf of the entire LatestLY desk, we wish Pankaj Tripathi Many Many Happy Returns of the Day!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 05, 2018 01:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).