It was an extremely “happy yet emotional” moment for Pankaj Tripathi, who was in the city to receive his second National Award for the Best Supporting Actor for Mimi. Accompanied by his wife Mridula Tripathi and daughter Aashi Tripathi for the ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan, the actor calls it a moment that he will always hold close to his heart.
“My daughter couldn’t come when I won a National Award for Newton (2017), but this time, her school was shut, so we were happy to bring her along. And my wife was the happiest to see my on that stage, yet again. She clicked pictures and made my videos when I was receiving the award. Also, I’m not very active on social media, so she had posted the glimpses from the ceremony and asked me, ‘Aapne like nahi kiya abhi tak’. And I was like, ‘Achha, mujhe pata nahi tha tumne daal dia.’ I was so busy after the ceremony that I met them also after 4 hours,” says Tripathi, who was reeling from the demise of his father at the time when national awards were announced.
The actor recalls moments from the National Award ceremony and meeting all other fellow winners including Kriti Sanon, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Allu Arjun among others. He tells us, “Ceremony ke time bhi, aur baad mein bhi, kayi saare log mujhe mile aur bole, ‘Tumhe award milne se hum behad khush hain’. Ranbir kept asking about small things, ‘Yeh kaise hota hai, woh kaise hota hai, aap toh pehle bhi aaye hain.’ Everyone said your success feels very personal. I felt very humble and emotional that as an actor I’ve been able to forge such a strong connection of love with my audiences. And that’s not only because of the roles I play or the acting I do. The life I lead has a huge role to play here. Yeh sab kafi unexpected lagta hai, but then I realise when we do our work with full honesty, sincerity and dedication, everything is possible.”
{{/usCountry}}The actor recalls moments from the National Award ceremony and meeting all other fellow winners including Kriti Sanon, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Allu Arjun among others. He tells us, “Ceremony ke time bhi, aur baad mein bhi, kayi saare log mujhe mile aur bole, ‘Tumhe award milne se hum behad khush hain’. Ranbir kept asking about small things, ‘Yeh kaise hota hai, woh kaise hota hai, aap toh pehle bhi aaye hain.’ Everyone said your success feels very personal. I felt very humble and emotional that as an actor I’ve been able to forge such a strong connection of love with my audiences. And that’s not only because of the roles I play or the acting I do. The life I lead has a huge role to play here. Yeh sab kafi unexpected lagta hai, but then I realise when we do our work with full honesty, sincerity and dedication, everything is possible.”
{{/usCountry}}While Tripathi has won several awards and accolades in his career, winning a National Awards is always special, he insists. “Inki apni alag garima hai. It’s not organised by any company and there’s no ‘this presents, that presents’. It’s only government presents, so woh ek alag feeling hoti hai. I don’t get emotional on winning any other award, but a national award is different. woh isliye kyunki jin jin ko dekh kar acting ke liye lalsa lagi thi, woh sab national awardees hain, aur wahi log mujhe inspire kiye the iss kaam mein aane ke liye,” says the actor, hoping that a film like Mimi being honoured with a National Award will “push more makers to invest in such important stories because audiences watch them”.
Before heading back to Mumbai, the 48-yar-old paid a quick visit to his guruji in Harijan Sevak Sangh, Gandhi Ashram. Talking to us right after addressing his fans at the Ashram, Tripathi reveals that he has completed 19 years since he came to Mumbai in 2004. “Aur main aaj yahan 20 saal pehle ke Pankaj Tripathi se milne aaya tha. I postponed by flight by an hour because I wanted to meet Prasanna sir, our teacher from National School of Drama (NSD). I’m in touch with most of my teachers, as I strongly believe that your upbringing has a huge role to play in the personality you develop. And then your teachers, the books you read and the people you meet, un sab ka bhi contribution rehta hai. And I’m fortunate to have met such people who have shaped me into the person I am today,” shares the actor.