Journey Of Pankaj Tripathi To Stardom
“I have seen my parents working hard all their lives. They have only lived by honesty and hard work, and these two things are paramount for me”. Stories of struggle are the best tonic for inspiration, and our very own Kaleen Bhaiya aka, Pankaj Tripathi from the famous Mirzapur web series, isn’t an unknown entity when it comes to struggles.
We all know how fabulous Pankaj Tripathi is as an actor, but his journey from a small town in Bihar to the lavishing B-Town is nothing short of inspiration. He is a natural talent who has carved a name for himself in the industry with his sheer acting talent. From comedy to a common man, grey shades to humble roles, Tripathi has always been a shining star in every character he donned.
Family and Background
Tripathi was born in a Hindu family in Belsand (a village in Gopalganj District) Bihar on September 5, 1976. His upbringing was done in Bihar by parents Pandit Banaras Tripathi and Hemwanti Devi. He is the youngest of the four siblings and used to work as a farmer until he was in the 11th standard. He got married to Mridula Tripathi on January 15, 2004, and the couple is blessed with a daughter.
Since childhood, he was fascinated by acting and used to play small roles in village Natak’s. He always used to get appreciated by the villagers for his roles in Natak’s that ignited a fire in him to take acting seriously and pursue it as a career.
Early Struggles Of Pankaj Tripathi And Rise To Stardom
The Pankaj we know today seems to have become the flavor of every recipe. But, this wasn’t the case in the initial phase of his life. Like every aspiring actor, Pankaj also dreamt of making it big in Bollywood, making good cinema, or entertaining the audience. Well, he is living his dream today, courtesy of his sheer hard work and admirable talent. But initially, he came to Mumbai to do something that could just meet his basic amenities.
He has stated that he never thought that he would be in a position to choosing for himself. At that time, there was no choice as whatever work came to him he just said yes to it. But things have changed now, as he is now able to choose from a variety of stories which suits him the best. He says, ” I am a man of progressive thinking. I want my characters to show that there’s hope. Nothing is entirely negative.”
He has made a name for himself in the industry, and people love him seamlessly. He is on the wish list of almost every filmmaker and producer now but still believes in being humble. For being in the limelight more often than ever, he said, “Things haven’t changed for me to that extent actually. People have loved me back then when I was a nobody, they love me even today irrespective of whether I am getting work or not. It depends if you are in a bad company, but fortunately, I have always been with the people who cared about me. Success and failure are temporary, people are important in life.”
Career
National School of Drama in Delhi was the foundation of his career. With a theatre bug inside him, he graduated from NSD in Delhi. After graduating there, he took a long journey to Mumbai in 2004 to set his acting game. However, before moving to Mumbai, he had already made an appearance on the silver screen in a 2003 Kannada film titled Chigurida Kanasu. But his Bollywood break came in Abhishek Bachchan’s starer Run with almost an anonymous and negligible role.
Since then, he kept on getting side roles but announced himself in 2012 masterpiece Gangs of Wasseypur. After the release of Gangs of Wasseypur, he never looked back and bagged popular roles in movies like Fukrey, Gunday, Singham Returns, Masaan, Maanjhi- The Mountain Man, Gurgaon, Fukrey Returns, and others. Gurgaon, which got released in 2017, was his first film as a lead actor.
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Apart from movies, he has done TV shows and web-series as well. People widely love his character as Kaleen Bhaiya in the critically acclaimed web series Mirzapur, where he portrays the role of a man who runs a carpet business but is a cunning and power-obsessed man who is into smuggling and other illegal activities. Apart from the Mirzapur series, he has also acted in series like Sacred Games and Criminal Justice.
Time to wind up:
Bollywood is blessed to have a talent like Pankaj Tripathi at their disposal. After the initial struggles, Tripathi has stamped his authority in the industry and is one of the most loved actors in the country. As fans, we hope that Tripathi continues his fabulous work and make us go ga-ga with his sheer talent.