Pankaj Tripathi who’s Criminal Justice, the highly anticipated courtroom drama series that has him starring as Madhav Shukla, has returned with its fourth season on OTT. The series explores the complexities of the Indian judicial system while taking audiences through interesting cases. Talking about the latest season and his journey, the actor shared several anecdotes and key moments that defined his career and revealed what he considers to be the three pillars that cemented his position in the digital entertainment landscape.
Talking about his knack for playing different roles and how the industry acknowledged it, the actor shared, “Neeraj Ghaywan helped me change my image from an aggressive man which I had got through Gangs of Wasseypur. People were surprised through Masaan that I can play a soft character as well. Both films – Gangs of Wasseypur and Masaan helped the industry realise that I am a versatile actor. Then Nil Battey Sannata helped the industry understand that I can even play a comic role too. I played a sincere school principal who wanted to help students move ahead in life. The film is a serious comedy. It was Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s first film. She gave me the freedom to play the character the way I want and thus people got acquainted with the fact that I can do comedy as well.”
About the filming of Raavan, Pankaj Tripathi said, “I enjoyed my feminine side while shooting for Raavan. During the filming, I wore a saree, with makeup, and sat on set for seven days. Even in my village, I had dressed up as a girl for the first play in my life. I haven’t had the opportunity to play a character like that on screen again, but if it comes, the opportunity would be interesting.”
Revealing the story behind a picture taken with his parents, the actor said, “In villages, there is no such culture of taking pictures. I had a mobile back then and requested a child nearby to click a picture of me with my parents. It was the first opportunity in my life when I got to place my hand on my father’s shoulder, as such acts weren’t followed in my village. In my house, no one knew what films were. No one used to read film magazines either and in fact there was no electricity there till 2016-17. I had told my family that I’m going to study theatre at NSD, post which I will become a professor. They thought I would get into teaching post my education there, so they agreed to let me go.”
Mentioning three pillars of OTT for him, the actor shared, “Guruji in Sacred Games, Kaleen Bhaiya in Mirzapur and Madhav Mishra in Criminal Justice. While acting, I feel that I should just keep thinking and it should transform into an expression that defines the character.”
Sharing the story behind the initial days of filming Mimi, Tripathi revealed, “I initially didn’t want to do Mimi. Dinesh Vijan and Laxman Utekar called my wife, asking her to convince me. I gave in and did the film. It was a great experience to be a part of this movie that is amongst the most viewed films on OTT. Kriti and I both received National Awards for the film. It wasn’t just a supporting role, it was something else altogether.”