Good things come to those who wait. I feel the prime example of this saying has to be Pankaj Tripathi. A gem of an actor, Pankaj received recognition for his craft in his 40s, but his dedication towards his work never deterred at all. As much effort as he used to put in it when he was just doing the side roles, the same effort, if not more, he put when he became the centre of the show. His journey has been inspiring to me and having spoken to him on multiple occasions, his down to earth nature is something that I admire a lot. Thus, it feels great to see him getting his due and being approached for lead roles, and now there is a new addition on that list as Pankaj will headline Srijit Mukherji’s Sherdil.
The actor has started shooting for the same and will be starring along Neeraj Kabi and Sayani Gupta in the film. Sherdil was actually supposed to go on floors in 2020 but the pandemic pushed the plans a little. Although all’s well that ends well and now Pankaj is in awe of his director, all excited to be moulded in his vision.
Here’s what he said about Srijit:
“Srijit is a fabulous director. He needs no introduction. His work speaks for itself. When Sherdil was offered to me, I jumped on the idea. The story has a definite character in itself. It is a beautifully written script and I trust Srijit to bring each character to life convincingly. That’s his USP.”
But it isn’t only the actor who is praising of his director, the feeling is mutual on both ends.
Here’s what Srijit had to say about Pankaj:
“Pankaj Tripathi is one of the finest actors in the country today. Having him on set is half the battle won. He is always excited to try new things and improvise when need be. He is a director’s delight.”
Sherdil will mark Pankaj’s next lead role after the critically-acclaimed Kaagaz this year and is co-produced by Reliance Entertainment and T-Series. Having seen the whole trajectory of Pankaj’s career, I feel excited to see the amount of work Pankaj is getting. He is currently arguably the busiest actor out there, with every other film having an appearance from him. He was recently seen in Bunty Aur Babli 2 and next up he has ’83, Bachchan Pandey and OMG 2. It’s oddly very satisfying to see someone deserving get what he is destined for and that is how Pankaj’s success makes me feel.