Pankaj Tripathi’s fun masterclass at 53rd IFFI was a houseful affair
Actor Pankaj Tripathi’s masterclass at the ongoing 53rd International Film festival of India (IFFI) in Goa was a full house. It was packed with students and fans, eager to hear about the actor’s journey.
The 46-year-old has made his presence felt in worlds of OTT and films alike. A keen fan wanted to know how acting for both the platforms differs and the actor responded, “Even if the storyline is new in the second season of an OTT show, the character continues with the same characteristics.”
Since the Mimi (2021) actor is juggling several films and web series, Tripathi says that sometimes, he forgets how to play a role. Narrating an incident that took place while shooting for Mirzapur 2, the actor shares, “The director came up to me and said, ‘Aap aise nahin karte the’ and I had to say, ‘Season one ka scene dikhao’. Main kayi baar bhool jaata hoon… I have to watch the older scenes [to remember].”
Doing back-to-back projects means the actor has a hectic schedule with long working hours and little to no work-life balance. And while he loves to sleep, he needs to remind himself to do that nowadays. “Earlier, there was a lot of time for sleep. But now, neend ka dhyaan rakhna padta hai. Hamara Bharat krishi pradhaan hai, main neend pradhaan hoon,” he says.
Despite an extended masterclass, Tripathi was energetic as ever. Speaking to us about his experience with his fans, he said, “Bahut hi shaandar experience tha. Hopefully, jis intention se yeh log aaye the, maine woh fulfil kiya. The love I got was overwhelming and that’s beyond an actor-fan connection,” he beams.
Tripathi later participated in a panel discussion with the Secretary of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Apurva Chandra, MD of the National Film Development Corporation and CEO of the Central Board of Film Certification Ravinder Bhakar, and the President of the Film Federation of India Ravi Kottarakara. The session was about skill development and training to aid the film sector.