Pankaj Tripathi still doesn’t feel he is a great actor

Pankaj Tripathi, who recently received his second National Film Award for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for ‘Mimi’, opened up about the dearth of good talent in the Hindi film industry and said that there’s a lot of average work happening around, which makes anything applaudable that is slightly better.

Recalling one incident, Pankaj told ‘Film Companion’ that a woman once asked him, ‘When did you feel you are a great actor?’ To which, he replied that he still doesn’t feel he is a great actor.

“Around us, there is so much average work happening that even something slightly above average seems great. I am nothing,” he added.

Tripathi further explained that this is largely because he takes acting lightly and not as a matter of life or death. “It’s the truth right now. I am honest. I won’t spare one dime in honesty, but I know I have a limit. Beyond that, I can’t do much. That is why I never ask for retakes and never look at the monitor,” he said.

It was a happy coincidence that Pankaj received the ‘Best Supporting Actor’ National Award for ‘Mimi’, a day after he completed 20 years in Mumbai. Known for films like ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, ‘Masaan’, ‘Stree’ and web series ‘Mirzapur’ and ‘Criminal Justice’, Pankaj started his career with an uncredited role in the 2003 Kannada film ‘Chigurida Kanasu’.

Today, the Bihar-born actor is known by several of his character names: be it Rudra bhaiya from the horror comedy ‘Stree’ or Kaleen Bhaiya from the crime drama series ‘Mirzapur’. He will next be seen playing the role of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in ‘Main Atal Hoon’. He will also be seen in ‘Mirzapur 3’ and ‘Stree 2’.