Pankaj Tripathi recalls peeling onions and potatoes at hotel for 2 years before becoming an actor

Pankaj Tripathi revealed on The Great Indian Kapil Show that he once hoped to become a student leader, but changed course after being beaten by police.

Bollywood actor Pankaj Tripathi recently appeared on Kapil Sharma's Netflix show, The Great Indian Kapil Show, along with Vikas Divyakirti and Zakir Khan. During the show, Pankaj spoke about his journey and the choices that shaped his career. He also made an interesting revelation about what he wanted to pursue before becoming an actor.

Pankaj Tripathi recalls his humble beginnings at The Great Indian Kapil Show.

Pankaj Tripathi recalls working at hotel before becoming an actor

When an audience member revealed that he was confused about his career, Kapil asked Pankaj if he had ever experienced similar uncertainty before getting into acting. The actor then revealed, "Even I wanted to be a student leader, but the police beat me so badly, that day I changed my mind because I realised getting beaten up is involved in it. I even worked at a hotel for 2 years, while peeling onions and potatoes, I realised my desitny is something else and not this."

When Navjot Singh Sidhu asked if he credited the OTT space for helping him grow, Pankaj said, "I agree that OTT helped outsiders make a name for themselves. We all belong to ordinary families, but in this democratic space we got opportunities and worked hard to earn our places. This possibility exists for every kid in India, and of course new mediums emerge, so new opportunities open up."

About Pankaj Tripathi's journey

After graduating from the National School of Drama in 2004, Pankaj Tripathi moved to Mumbai to pursue acting. He made his film debut with a small role in Run in 2004, followed by appearances in films such as Omkara, Apaharan and Agneepath.

His breakthrough came in 2012 with Anurag Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur, in which he played Sultan Qureshi. The performance brought him wider recognition and opened doors to projects such as Fukrey, Masaan, Bareilly Ki Barfi and Newton. He received a National Film Award Special Mention for his performance as Atma Singh in Newton.

The actor's popularity grew further with the arrival of OTT platforms. His portrayal of Kaleen Bhaiya in Mirzapur (2018) became a turning point, earning him immense popularity and making the character a household name. He then went on to win audiences over as lawyer Madhav Mishra in Criminal Justice.

The actor is now awaiting the release of his upcoming film, Parvarik ManuRanjan. Directed by Varun V Sharma, the film also stars Aditi Rao Hydari in the lead role, alongside Mukesh Tiwari, Vijayant Kohli, Karan Chanana and Bijendra Kala in supporting roles. It is scheduled to premiere on SonyLIV on November 13.