Pankaj Tripathi to get Diversity in Cinema Award

Pankaj Tripathi, who is known to bring something new with each of his onscreen outings, will be honoured for his myriad shades of versatility with the Diversity in Cinema Award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM). “I am honoured and humbled to receive this award and also happy that such a prestigious film festival has recognised my work,” he says.

For him, however, the award doesn’t come with any pressure but more responsibility to keep doing better. He shares, “My intent is to perform to the best of my capabilities. I am very grateful that my performances are appreciated by the audience.” Besides this, Tripathi has also been nominated for the Best Performance (Male) in the film category for Ludo and for the Best Performance (Male) in a series for Mirzapur 2 at the film festival this year.

The 44-year-old expresses his gratitude to OTT platforms for giving his work global recognition. “Mere liye yeh brilliant and humble karne wala experience hai. I had never thought that an actor like me would reach over 250 countries. Now, we also get feedback via social media; I just got a message from Italy about he adds.

The award will be presented on August 20 by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who directed him in Gangs of Wasseypur, the film which shone a spotlight on his acting skills.

I am honoured and humbled that a prestigious film fest has recognised my work.

PANKAJ TRIPATHI,

Actor