Back in 2004, Pankaj Tripathi made his debut in Bollywood with a minor role in the film Run. However, it was not until his role in the movie Gangs of Wasseypur that the audience noticed his abilities and started to adore him. Since then, Pankaj Tripathi has entertained the Indian and global audience with some of the best series and movies. In fact, for his role in the movie Newton, which was also the first time India officially entered the Oscars, he had won a National Film Award- Special Mention.
Other than these performances here’s a compilation of Pankaj Tripathi’s best series and movie which left their marks in the industry.
Dharm- This 2007 National Film Award winner for the best feature film on national integration was starred by Pankaj Tripathi in the supporting role as Suryaprakash. It also had Supriya Prakash and was the directorial debut of Bhavna Talwar. This movie questioned the essential nature of ‘Dharm’ and the true meaning of religion.
Mithya- This 2008 film was considered to be a comeback of parallel cinema in Bollywood and starred Naseeruddin Shah and Ranveer Shorey in lead roles. The movie was a unique take on the original and famous Don story that was starred by Amitabh Bachchan and was recreated by Shah Rukh Khan. Even though the character played by Pankaj Tripathi was small, he managed to show his mettle while sharing the screen with veteran actors like Harsh Chayya, Saurabh Shukla and Vinay Pathak.
Powder- Starring Pankaj Tripathi as a crimelord before he was cast in the Gangs of Wasseypur, this movie showed his prowess and with his layered performance, he managed to create a villain who was terrifying and yet would draw the sympathy of the audience unwittingly.
Gurgaon- Another of Pankaj Tripathi’s best series and movies was Gurgaon. This is proof of his talents as in spite of playing similar characters, his performance onscreen is never repetitive and he never ceases to please us. In this movie, Pankaj Tripathi plays a real estate tycoon whose daughter gets kidnapped. He felt and internalized the emotions of the character and gave a mind-blowing but contained performance.
Maazi- This well-crafted thriller drama by debut director Jaideep Chopra stars Pankaj Tripathi in a supporting role and Mona Wasu and Sumeet Nijhawan in leading roles. This film received great acclamations from critics but failed commercially due to its limited release.
Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa- This dark comedy premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in 2013 stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead role. This film of Pankaj Tripathi by director Buddhadeb Dasgupta was never commercially released in India and its story follows a detective who investigates his own life.
Global Baba- This was a satirical comedy with a cast “led by Pankaj Tripathi” which explored the unique Indian culture of spiritual Babas (or saints). In spite of Tripathi’s brilliant performance, some critics believe that the actual idea couldn’t translate well into the script.
