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Pankaj Tripathi is more than a hero—wholesome, shudh sanskari and impossible to dislike

I hope Pankaj Tripathi stays the way he is, muffler wrapped around his ears during winter, old-fashioned spectacles balancing on his nose, not allowing a smile to crack through the sang-froid.

Pankaj Tripathi is like comfort food. He reminds me of a delectable doodh pedha. The mithai made from milk, with or without cardamom. Wholesome. Good for health. Palatable. Bland but not boring. A goody-goody actor, who is almost too ‘good’ to be true. But there he is, an accomplished, seasoned thespian who minds his own business while noiselessly stealing hearts, stealing the show, walking away with awards, headlining successful OTT projects and generally getting around quietly and efficiently in a raucous industry defined by brashness and bad-boy stereotypes. Paradox: The goody-goody excels at playing the baddie.

Tripathi is definitely not hero material; commercial producers remind us. But hello! He is much, much bigger. Tripathi is a one-man acting school. An actor who seamlessly becomes the character audiences immediately react to and adore—regardless of the role. What is this man? Neither fish nor fowl. Not an anti-hero. Not a villain. Not a character actor. Not a supporting star. And yet, the man’s mishti-doi “brand” is shaking up the box office. And exciting offers are pouring in.

This seems just right for a farmer’s son who takes pride in his roots and has scrupulously stuck to his staunch, conservative belief systems. Raised as a strict vegetarian, it’s ironic that Tripathi made his mark playing a butcher. He now says this one role in Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur challenged him the most as an actor.........

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