Pankaj Tripathi is one of the most fine actors in the industry and recently revealed his process of delivering a convincing performance. He said he eats only khichdi during the shoot. He also revealed during the Film Companion interview that he can nap in the middle of a shot and has trained himself such that no one can make out that he is sleeping and not listening with his eyes closed. Also read: Pankaj Tripathi: I don’t get emotional on winning any other awards, but a national award is different and special
Pankaj on his habit of sleeping on sets
He said, “Main chalte shot mein so sakta hai. Roll, camera, rolling, line mera nahi hai, dusre ka line chalra hai, main dekhte dekhte (I can slip in the middle of a shot, I can sleep when the other actor is saying his lines) …I make it a part of acting as if the character is listening with his eyes closed. I blend it in a way that the director and audience think that I am listening with a lot of involvement when I say “Ya, ya..” ya ya ka matlab main ja raha hota hu (ya, ya means I going to sleep). Apni gardan ki muscles ko train karke rakha hu ki sona to hai magar jhukna nahi hai (I have trained my neck muscles in a way that I don't nod down as I fall asleep).”
Pankaj on his diet during shoots
Pankaj was also asked about the connection between food and acting during the interview. He replied, "Jab tak humara pet, bataur abhineta, sahi nahi rahega na, usme aap kujh bhi ut patang khana dal do aur aap socho ki zarurat padne pe main correct mute kar dunga, pareshani hogi. Main isliye shooting ke din khichdi hi khata hu (As an actor, until your stomach is fine, you will have a problem correctly hiding the issue whenever needed. That's why I only eat khichdi during the shoot)."
{{/usCountry}}Pankaj was also asked about the connection between food and acting during the interview. He replied, "Jab tak humara pet, bataur abhineta, sahi nahi rahega na, usme aap kujh bhi ut patang khana dal do aur aap socho ki zarurat padne pe main correct mute kar dunga, pareshani hogi. Main isliye shooting ke din khichdi hi khata hu (As an actor, until your stomach is fine, you will have a problem correctly hiding the issue whenever needed. That's why I only eat khichdi during the shoot)."
{{/usCountry}}He added that he ate only the khichdi he had prepared himself on all 60 days of the shoot for his upcoming film, Atal. He said he didn't order it from outside as he wouldn't know how it was cooked and preferred to make it himself without any oil and spices. He adds homemade ghee, haldi and locally available vegetables in the khichdi. "The brain and body need to be in sync and for this, the actor needs to have light food," he said.
Pankaj Tripathi will next be seen in former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's biopic titled Main Atal Hoon. He also has Anurag Basu's Metro In Dino and Stree 2 in the pipeline. He recently won the National Film Award for his performance in Mimi.