Even stars want to be called actors now: Pankaj Tripathi

As the distinction between the North and South diminishes and the Bollywood entertainment industry integrates, many actors are exploring opportunities in diverse linguistic contexts. Nevertheless, despite possessing a nationwide fan following and impressive filmography, actor Pankaj Tripathi has articulated his rationale for refraining from projects in languages other than Hindi. Speaking at a masterclass during the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), he elaborated on his decision saying, "due to the language barrier."

"I get a lot of good offers from the Telugu film industry that too for big films. But I'm so busy with my Hindi movie commitments. It is also because I'm not able to speak the languages. I did one movie down South with this brilliant writer-director Veeru Potla ('Doosukeltha'). But when I was working on that movie, I realised that I was not able to speak the language and I couldn't say ABCD and act for the camera. So it is due to the language barrier. Otherwise, I would love to do something down south," stated the actor, who was present at IFFI to introduce his recent film "Kadak Singh", directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury known for the film "Pink".

The film, which includes Jaya Ahsan, Parvathy Thiruvothu and Sanjana Sanghi in its cast, was showcased at IFFI as part of the World Gala Premiere section.

Tripathi also delved into the distinction between being a star and an actor, emphasizing that this differentiation has provided actors like him with an opportunity to explore and experiment, "The trend of actors having a certain mannerism or style has diminished now. And even stars want to be called actors. If someone gets that stardom status then they get trapped in their own assembled mannerism and experimentation becomes difficult."

In the course of the discussion, when the moderator Mayank Shekhar highlighted that Tripathi didn't receive due credit for his role in the film "Run," the actor promptly responded, "It's the story of life. Sometimes you will get credit, while at other times, you may not. But one needs to continue working with honesty."

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The actor continued to abide by his own words regardless of the duration or significance of his role in the project. In fact, his commitment was lauded by veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who praised him after witnessing his performance in the 2017 satirical drama "Newton", "He told me, 'Pankaj, I've called you to say that you were very good in the film. In three or four places, you were out of focus in a wide-angle shot as you were standing far behind. But still, you were truthful to the craft. So just maintain this truth in your acting'."

The transition from obscurity to becoming one of the most sought-after actors was far from easy. Tripathi reminisced about carrying a Police Inspector's uniform to secure minor roles, yet, he stressed that frustration never overcame him at any point in his journey. He said, "I'm a very content person. I used to feel happy playing the role of a police officer in a daily soap for a week. I never felt like 'What am I doing? I have never said no to any role. For me, art is secondary, survival is primary."

When questioned about how he handles the fame, attention, and affection that he receives, Tripathi responded by saying, "No one used to know me in Goa 15 years ago and there is a possibility that no one will remember me 15 years later. So this brings you back on track that it is all false."