Pankaj Tripathi: My experiments have always been appreciated by the audience

Pankaj Tripathi’s upcoming film Kadak Singh will see him in a different avatar and the actor is quite confident about it. Though he has never thought of how audiences would react to his performance while choosing scripts, he says, “Every time I tried experimenting with a character or a film, I knew people will like it,” he tells us.

Tripathi goes on, “My experiments have always been appreciated by the audience. And jo misfire hue, I knew it from day one that they will not work. So mere selection mein kabhi misfire nahi hua hai. “

But misfires while experimenting happened 5-6 years ago when Tripathi wasn’t even given the script to read. “I was told about my scenes and part in the film and that’s all. Mujhe zaroorat thi us waqt kaam karne ki, paiso ki…toh jaante boojhte bhi (that it won’t work) maine kar liya. Bhooka aadmi menu nahi dekhta hai, use bass khaana chaiye. But ab aisa nahi hota. With Kadak Singh also, I have tried to break free of my image and I know the audience will appreciate it,” he shares.

Elaborating on what he means by breaking free of his image, Tripathi says that every time he does a project, makers expect him to crack a joke or pass a sarcastic comment. “However, my character in Kadak Singh is that of a serious man who hardly smiles in most part of the film and it was extremely challenging. While shooting the film, the artiste in me would naturally slip in that direction where he wants to crack a joke. And I had to train myself to not let that trademark style come out. That was a challenge,” Tripathi shares with excitement about the film, which is releasing on Zee 5 on December 8.

But why didn’t he take up a role like this before? Tripathi says, “Koi aise scripts lekar aaega toh karenge na! Experimental films are offered to me but there are hardly any which shakes me to the core and convinces me to do it. But Kadak Singh directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury had everything an actor wants. This one’s a thriller. It has relationship drama, suspense, it has a chit-fund scam and so much more. The screenplay was fantastic.”

Despite being an all-in-all entertainer, when a film does not releases on theatres and take the digital routes, it often becomes a point of debate. But Tripathi remains unaffected by it. “Never in my career I have felt that a particular project is meant for theatre but is released on OTT. Mere dimaag mein aisa kuch nahi aata. In fact OTT is what made me popular, so I don’t really get bothered by it. I feel the reach of OTT is far greater than that of theatres. I am aware of the platform’s strength and hence people might see the different, I don’t have a problem in it. Log accha content kahi se bhi dhoond lete hain,” he says.

While Tripathi has been expressing the desire to slow down in career, it doesn’t seem possible as he has a line up of projects including Kadak Singh, Main Atal Hoon, Mirzapur 3 and Stree 2. When asked about it, he says, “ I have made up my mind to not sign too many projects after Kadak Singh. I will not work like this in 2024. Agle saal se genuinely main kam projects sign karna shuru karunga. I cannot shoot all 30 days. Acting is an art form that has its limits. After this film got over, I felt like taking a break before jumping onto the next project but I couldn’t,” he ends.

Mahesh Ramanathan , Producer of Kadak Singh & CEO – HT Content Studio also talks about the film and says, “Proud to have collaborated with Pankaj Tripathi who has raised the bar yet again. He is set to delight and multiply his galloping pan-India fan base . Our national motto is Satyameva Jayate and we could not have chosen anyone better to inspire all to be on the right side of truth irrespective of the challenges . Aniruddha’s direction and stand out performances of a dream cast need special mention in this well-made thriller.”