Always at the movies

METRO... IN DINO ACTOR PANKAJ TRIPATHI ON HIS ALLURE FOR SAREE-CLAD HEROINES AND THE 'GUTUR GUTUR' KIND OF ROMANCE. HE REVISITS HIS GROWING-UP MEMORIES WITH FARHANA FAROOK

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From Barauli in Bihar to the gold-tinted streets of B-town, it's been nothing but a roll of the dice for actor Pankaj Tripathi. Much like the tagline, “Ludo is life ... life is Ludo!” of his Anurag Basu directed film Ludo (2020), Pankaj's trajectory simulates the seemingly simple game, which relies on complex elements of strategy, luck and resilience. He separates his life into two halves, the first two decades spent in Bihar backwaters and the next two in the hustling metros of Delhi and Mumbai. After studying Hotel Management in Patna, Pankaj switched to the National School of Drama. This was his strategy to answer his inner calling. After an unaccredited role in Ram Gopal Varma's Run (2010), he 'lucked out' as Sultan Qureshi in the crime duo-logy Gangs of Wasseypur in 2012. It took him a dozen years and loads of 'resilience' to finally break in. Since then, he's credited with performances considered the stuff of cinematic syllabi.

As the corrupt college guard Pandit in Fukrey (2013), he's loved for the lines, “Bholi Punjaban chidiya nahi cheel hai... coffin mein aakhri keel hai.” Just as he's adored for his real-life role of Indian cricket team manager, PR Man Singh, in Kabir Khan's 83. His dialogue, “35 saal pehle humlog azaadi jeete, magar izzat jeetna abhi baaki hai kaptaan!” resonated across the homeland. As Kaleen Bhaiyya (Mirzapur) his belief, “Saanp kitna bhi chahe dushman ban jaaye, par control sapere ke haath mein hi hota hai,” spoke of unmistakable swagger. While recently, as Monty Sisodia in Anurag Basu's Metro... In Dino, his musing, “Do ajnabee, anjana safar. Kuch nahi bana toh kahani banegi,” captures stagnant modern relationships seeking thrill in phony encounters. Here, Pankaj looks back at his early pull towards acting, his admiration for Mithun Chakraborthy, his obsession with Madhuri Dixit and his idea of romance...

When was the first time you realised you wanted to act?