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Pankaj’s prep is on to look and sound like an authentic Malayali
Be it as officer Atma Singh in Newton (2017) or as loving father Narottam Mishra in Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017), actor Pankaj Tripathi dives deep into his characters. So, now that he’s playing a Malayali actorproducer in the forthcoming biopic on adult film star Shakeela Khan, his prep ranges from diction training to soaking up the spirit of Malayalam cinema.
A source shares, “Pankaj will soon start shooting for the film and he’s supposed to play a character who was very important in Shakeela Khan’s life. Pankaj is diving into uncharted waters yet again with this role. He doesn’t want to sound fake while delivering the dialogues and is leaving no stone unturned to execute his role perfectly.”
The National Awardwinning actor has gone through several Malayalam films, such as Kireedam, Dhruvam, and Spadikam. He has also watched some Hindi films that have Malayalam actors in prominent roles, to understand how Malayali actors talk in Hindi.
Pankaj, who was born and brought up in Bihar, tells us, “I’ve watched the original Malayalam Katha Parayumpol, the film that inspired Billu (2009). I love Malayalam films. Their storytelling skills are brilliant.”
About his character in the biopic, Pankaj says, “I’ve never done something like this before. I always try that I don’t copy or caricature. So it’s an original portrayal and I’ll mould it according to the feedback I receive from the director and the writer. Of course, I’ll say that it’s a very colourful role. There’s a particular type of body language, a hierarchy to it, a kind of status play as well. I hope the audience likes it.”