New Delhi: Actor Pankaj Tripathi turns 45 years old on Sunday (September 5). The versatile actor has been super busy despite the COVID-19 pandemic and has had six releases in the past one year, which include – Gunjan Saxena, Ludo, Kaagaz and Mimi, and web show Mirzapur 2 and Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors. Joking about the same, the actor told ETimes, “I am the only actor to have had so many releases during the lockdown! Main lockdown ka hero hoon (I am a hero of the lockdown).”
Pankaj also spoke about getting replaced in the films. The actor however shares that all the films that he has been replaced from did not do well. “Oh, so many times. You are told you have been finalised till the very end, and one day, you find out you have been replaced. Of course, it hurts, but it is a part of the process. However, every project I have been replaced in, has eventually flopped; trust me, I didn’t jinx them (laughs). So, in hindsight, it was for the best! Jo nahi ho sake poorn kaam, unko karta hoon main pranaam (Wishes that remain unfulfilled are probably for the best).” shared the ‘Mirzapur actor.
However, with the advent of OTT, Pankaj Tripathi and many other actors have got a new platform to showcase their talent and a huge fanbase. “ I am absolutely shocked; 8th and 9th-grade students are turning out to be my fans these days. Recently, I met the CEO of a company, who told me he was a fan of my work, as were his 70-year-old parents and teenage kids. I don’t understand how an actor can get such adulation from three generations, especially one who looks so ordinary and can’t even sing or dance! It stumps me every time,” he said.
The actor’s plate is full of work and he is booked till 2022. Pankaj however wishes to take a break once free and go to the mountains. “ I want to go on a three-four month vacation, take off to the mountains, catch hold of a yoga guru, and live a satvik life of discipline and simplicity for some time to cleanse my mind, body, and soul, told Pankaj.