Want to balance commercial and indie projects: Pankaj Tripathi

After memorable performances in films like "Gangs of Wasseypur", "Masaan" and "Dilwale", Pankaj Tripathi feels he is finally at a stage where he can strike a balance between commercial Bollywood fares and independent cinema.
"Commercial films give you a wide exposure. For 'Dilwale', I got calls from countries like Oman. Its reach is huge. Similarly, doing independent projects satisfy the actor in you. I want to balance such films with interesting roles in independent cinema," Pankaj told PTI in an interview.
He is currently shooting with Rajkummar Rao for "Newton".
"'Newton' is a black comedy, a social satire. Amit Masurkar is directing the movie and Drishyam films is producing. Rajkummar Rao is in the movie. I am playing a very important character. It is a very interesting project," he said.

The actor is also starring in "Nil Battey Sannata" and "Life Biryani". The movie, slated to release on April 22, has garnered praise from Aamir Khan, who called it "inspiring and uplifting".
In "Nil Battey Sannata", Pankaj is in the role of a school principal. The movie, also starring Swara Bhaskar and Ratna Pathak Shah, is about a maid's dream to give her daughter a good education even though the child rebels against it. The movie is a heartwarming story.

Pankaj says his role of a simple railway employee in "Masaan" is one of his favourite part as it was inspired by his father.

"'Masaan' was a small role but people connected with it. I loved playing a man who does not have many complexities in life. I was inspired by my father for this role. You find such characters in novel or in stories. You don't find such parts in movies where characters are either good, bad or grey."
Asked about his days of struggle, Pankaj says for close to a decade he kept running from one audition to another but "Wasseypur" finally helped him establish as a performer and he is happy with the way his career has shaped up after the film.

Acting is something that Pankaj stumbled into by chance.
"I feel when you are young, you are looking for avenues to express yourself whether it is art, politics or hooliganism. I was active in student politics but then I saw a play 'Andha Kuan' and it shifted something inside me. I realised this was what I wanted to do, this is how I wanted to express myself."
He got admission in National School of Drama (NSD) to fulfill his dream of becoming an actor. Interestingly, there was not much resistance from his family for his unconventional career choice.
"My father wanted me to become a doctor and I tried but it did not work out. My father is a simple man. When I told him that I wanted to do theatre, he asked 'Can you earn a living by it?'. When I said yes, he was okay with my choice."

The journey from there, however, was a long one and after theatre, the actor decided to shift to Mumbai like many other strugglers.
"I did a lot of plays and then went back to Patna to do theatre. I did not have any starry dreams but by that time I was married and had kids. There was no money in theatre and I had to run my house.
"I had a friend Bhanu Uday, he was in Mumbai and he called me. I did not come here for the glamour of cinema."
Pankaj hopes that his success in Bollywood inspires many more from his place, Gopalgunj, Bihar to join the industry.

"My father is 92 and every time he reads something about me in the newspapers, I feel it gives him more life. My family is happy that everyone in Gopalgunj knows me. I hope there are many more youngsters who join the industry from my area. Acting is not the obvious career choice there but hopefully it will change.