I had no idea that Newton, a film we made three years ago continues to have such positive, far reaching impact: Pankaj Tripathi

The actor talks about his film Newton, which was screened for polling officers in Bihar ahead of the election duty.

Ever since the Bihar election campaign began, actor Pankaj Tripathi has been taking a keen interest in the state of affairs in his home state.

Pankaj Tripathi won a special mention at 65th National Film Awards for his performance in the black comedy drama, Newton, directed by Amit V Masurkar.

The actor, who has been busy promoting his work projects, has also been constantly keeping a tab on the candidates contesting in the election. In his work as well, Tripathi has preferred stories that trigger social change. And one of his acclaimed roles was character Aatma Singh and Rajkummar Rao’s Newton Kumar from their film 2017 National Award winning film Newton which delved into the on-ground facets of elections in the Northern state.

So, amidst the election fervour when Tripathi heard that a local zonal officer in Chapra found inspiration in his film Newton and it was the same for a number of other Election Duty officers and polling agents ahead of Bihar election, it warmed the actor’s heart. Tripathi won a special mention at 65th National Film Awards for his performance in the black comedy drama, directed by Amit V Masurkar.

Pleased that his film was screened for polling officers in Bihar ahead of the election duty, he says, “You never find out about your own reach unless you hear such stories. This officer was training 2500 election forces and he made those training under him watch Newton. The film had a great impact because there are many people who try to escape doing election duty. They feel pressured. The field officers kept a special screening for polling officers. Once the film was over, everyone was ready to go on duty. I had no idea that a film we made thre years ago continues to have such positive, far reaching impact. It is a matter of honour and privilege that I am associated with work which inspires people to contribute to the betterment of the society.”