Pankaj Tripathi: I try to find humility in a negative character’s brutality

POPULAR ACTOR ON PLAYING VILLAINS AND HIS MIRZAPUR 2 ROLE

by MOHNISH SINGH

MASSIVELY in-demand actor Pankaj Tripathi is known to become the character that he portrays on screen.

His rich portfolio of work includes several memorable performances in high-profile films and boundary-breaking web shows, including the Amazon Prime serial Mirzapur, which recently premiered season two.

Like most of his projects, the versatile actor was seen as the best thing about Mirzapur and his role of Akhandanand Tripathi/Kaleen Bhaiya has already become iconic.

Mirzapur continues an incredible run of winning performances for an actor everyone wants to work with, from co-stars to high-profile producers. Having risen up from humble beginnings, the actor has remained grounded and was happy to have a free-flowing conversation with Eastern Eye.

He spoke about Mirzapur 2, his notorious character Kaleen Bhaiya, acting and how he is picking between the many offers he gets.

During your days of struggle, did you ever imagine being so successful?

Yes, of course! The whole world feeds on imagination. Had I not imagined being a successful actor, my journey would have ended halfway through. Imagination is the most important tool in both acting as well as life. So, yeah, imagination is a very important thing and gives you hope.

You are very much in demand, what draws you to a project?

An amalgamation of great writing, a good banner and good producers. (Smiles) And last but certainly not least, a good pay cheque.

What did you like about Mirzapur?

Mirzapur is equipped with interesting characters, a taut screenplay and, of course, a great premise. I like its writing very much. Working with the entire team of the show is a pure joy. So, yes, I would say these are some of the factors which I like about the show.

What did the success of season one mean to you?

It was an incredible feeling. Frankly speaking, we had not thought that people would love the show so much and that it would turn out to be such a huge success. It was overwhelming to see such great responses pouring in from various quarters. In today’s time and age, people forget about any show or any content in a month or two, but that did not happen with Mirzapur. The audience waited for the second season of the show for two years, which speaks of Mirzapur’s popularity.

What can we expect from season two?

Double the entertainment, double the engagement, double the fun, double the conspiracies and double the desires. There is going to be a double dose of everything. In season two, the characters have grown and so has the story. So, the canvas of the show also had to be bigger.

What can we expect from your character, Kaleen Bhaiya?

He will be in a bigger crisis this time around, and also in a bigger conflict. He will get into a new territory. He wields greater power now and so will venture into new areas.

How do you approach playing a negative character so far removed from you?

I am an actor who always tries to find some kind of positivity even in negative characters. Whenever I take on a negative character, I always think that there must be some semblance of positivity in him. In a nutshell, I try to find humility in a negative character’s brutality. I believe that there is no black and white person in the world; everyone is grey.

Do you have a favourite moment in season 2?

Basically, there are two moments – one is in the middle of the story and the other one towards the climax. I cannot give you any spoiler at the moment.

You are seen as one of the finest actors working in India right now, do others get intimidated by you on set?

No, not at all! I never consider myself as one of the finest actors. Everyone that I work with is first a human being for me and then an actor. We both have been entrusted with the responsibility of making a scene better. Right communication is a key here to ensure that. So I am only a communicator. People say that I am one of the finest actors. It definitely feels good when they say so. It makes you humbler. Whenever I feel that my co-star is at all nervous, I walk up to him and talk to him before getting into the scene. I tell him that we both are here to act, so diffuse your tension.

Is it fun playing a villain or is it challenging for you?

No, it is not fun; it is challenging.

How does it compare to comedy, which you do really well?

I like playing soft, comedic roles more than anything else. See, we are living in a time which is so full of tension. We are constantly living under the pressure of something or the other. Making people laugh is a difficult task these days, and I love to take up that task and make people smile. I wish the world is always happy and smiling.

Does your approach change between film and web shows?

No, it is almost the same. I think the only difference is that of time and duration. In a web show, you have multiple episodes and hence, a lot of time to live a character. Films, on the other hand, have a limited time to tell a story.

You are playing diverse characters, but is there a dream role that you haven’t done yet?

No, not at all. There is no such dream role for me.

What is the secret of a great performance as you clearly know?

It should be believable and look convincing. It should be truthful.

How do you feel before a new project of yours like Mirzapur 2 gets launched?

I will be looking forward to seeing audiences’ reaction; how they are reacting to the second season on social media, what they are writing about it and what they liked about the show. Even I am excited to watch the upcoming season. I also want to (binge) watch it.

People have binge-watched Mirzapur and will do season 2, but what do you enjoying watching as an audience?

Instead of watching something, I prefer to read books. It is a difficult task for me to watch something. Having said that, I like slice-of-life world cinema and India’s independent cinema. I like regional films in Malayalam, Marathi, etc. My choice is a little bit off-beat.

What do you love most about being an actor? 

We get to travel around the world. Our job gives us an opportunity to meet new people every day, in new cities with new cuisine. The icing on the cake is that everything is free of cost for us. (Laughs) This excites me a lot.

Why should we watch Mirzapur 2?

If you loved the first season of the show, then you will love the second season as well because we are giving you more entertainment. The story is bigger and so is the conflict. I am hopeful that you won’t be disappointed because the script of the show is really good. Do watch it. You will enjoy it.

Mirzapur 2 is available now on Amazon Prime