‘Can’t reply to everyone on social media‘

Actor Pankaj Tripathi, who has been receiving praises from all quarters for his film Newton, believes in “spending less time in the world of social media, and more in the real world, interacting with people oneon-one”. The Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) actor says he uses social media only to promote his films, as he finds himself incapable of handling so much attention. “The only time I am active on social media is when I have a film coming up. But it’s difficult for me to handle it. Every person there who connects with you wants an answer from you, wants that you directly communicate with them. I get hundreds of such messages everyday.” The actor, known for playing a doting father to Kriti Sanon’s character, Bitti, in Bareilly Ki Barfi, and a soft-spoken school principal in Hindi Medium, says another reason why he finds social media difficult to navigate is that he wants to connect with all his fans, which is implausible. “Main hoon bada sensible aadmi. I want ki main sabko reply karoon, lekin voh mushkil ho jaata hai. If I spend my time replying to everyone’s messages, when will I work?” adds the actor, who will be seen next in the film Fukrey Returns, sequel to the 2013 sleeper hit, Fukrey. Tripathi, who doesn’t mince his words when it comes to his opinions on burning issues, also takes a dig at the prevalent practice of live film tweet reviews. “Every viewer today, is a critic. Chalti film mein update karne lagte hain apne reviews! Mere liye thoda tough hai, because I have hundreds of other things to do instead of updating where I am and what I am doing.”