WATCH: Pankaj Tripathi Gets Candid About Anaarkali Of Aarah, Getting Snubbed At Nominations In Award Ceremonies And More!

Pankaj Tripathi is an actor par excellence. Be it his performance in Gangs of Wasseypur, or in Masaan or the recent Nil Battey Sannata, he never fails to impress us with his talent and his capability! He has not just done films, but has also been part of many TV serials.

He will be seen in a brand new avatar in the upcoming movie, Anaarkali of Aarah, which is all set to release on 24^th of March. Pankaj will be seen playing the character of a singing dancing group that is typical of Bihar and U.P. He will play the owner of one such group, where Anaarkali is a part.

He had the opportunity to catch up with the actor ahead of the release of the movie. We had a candid talk with Pankaj, where he revealed more about his character, about the experience of working in both big and small budget movies and also about award functions and there significance. Here’s what he had to say:

1.  About his role in the film:

He will be playing a “nachne gaane” wala in the movie and Pankaj is excited that he would be able to show his dancing skills here!

2. Which genre does he like the most:

Pankaj revealed that though he does every kind of roles, it his comedy that he likes the best since it gives him a scope to do some completely different.

3. The difference between the big budget and small budget movies and what is better!

He says both are great in their own different ways. While big budget movies have a grand set, small budget movies need to be shot in a shorter span of time.

He also feels that big budget films give him the exposure and recognition, that can be used to draw audience to small budget movies.

4. Since Anaarkali of Aarah is about a certain place, how will the national audience connect to it.

Pankaj said that when a film is set in a locale, it makes the people from that place connect to it very quickly. They will come to see it to see their own locality and culture. For the other parts, this plays as a window to the part that the larger audience has not seen before.

5. About being a part of both TV and the Film Industry at the same time.

The actor said that since he is a little busy nowadays, giving time to TV has become difficult. But he is very confident about his craft that he can switch and do 10 roles at the same time.

He is aware of the fact that he is often called the underrated actor and feels that it is better to be called underrated than being called overrated!

He also discussed his future films and is proud that for the last 6 months, he has not got a single holiday and has almost 10 films lined up for release this year.

6. Whether it is discouraging as an actor to not get a nomination in the awards ceremony

Pankaj Tripathi had done a pretty great job in Nil Battey Sannata, but failed to even get a nomination. He says that it is discouraging to not even make it to the nominations.

He also feels that the award ceremonies are nothing but a 2 hour Tv programme, created to generate revenue and raise TRPs. He did not want to be negative but he also said that some pan masala or masala brand (that sponsors award functions) can never truly decide the craft or ability of an actor!

He also added that he is saying so because he has never received an award despite all hard work and if he ever gets an award, he would also say that the awards are great and fair!

7. Does he feel that he has arrived in Bollywood? If yes then what does he call the career defining movies?

Pankaj feels that since his debut in 2004, it is Gangs of Wasseypur that gave him a lot of limelight. Nil Battey Sannata helped him break his image on-screen. He also says that he has a lot of hope from Newton and Fukrey Returns that will release this year!

Watch the full interview here: