PANKAJ TRIPATHI

ON HIS METEORIC SUCCESS, THE FUTURE OF OTT, AND MIRZAPUR 2 ON AMAZON PRIME VIDEO

- ARNESH GHOSE and MAYUKH MAJUMDAR

Pick the most acclaimed and talked about films and shows of the last five years, and chances are that Pankaj Tripathi has been in them. He’s become every director’s go-to guy, has carried web shows on his extremely mature and capable shoulders, has established himself as one of the country’s most efficient character actors right now, and is loved by the audience for his natural and effortless performances. With Mirzapur Season 2 releasing this month on Amazon Prime Video, everybody’s favourite Kaleen Bhaiya is coming back to our screens

Even after all these years, whenever I have to write about Pankaj Tripathi, I always start with his performance in Newton. Possibly one of the best supporting roles I have seen in Indian cinema in over a decade, Tripathi brought such a variety of shades to his character — vulnerable, helpless, egoistic, frustrated — that it made his character’s journey much more memorable than even Rajkummar Rao's title role. Since then, Tripathi has delivered one knockout performance after another. He dazzled in Stree and Bareilly Ki Barfi, was excellent in Gurgaon, has been the only reason to watch most of the web shows he has starred in, and even in a series like Mirzapur, which is packed with so many heavyweight characters, Pankaj Tripathi makes Kaleen Bhaiya memorable.