The Multipurpose Hall at North Campus' Rugby Stadium during the first edition of Delhi University's Literature Festival was packed to the rafters well before actor Pankaj Tripathi arrived for a session titled Nautanki. The moment he stepped in, the crowd erupted into chants of Kaleen Bhaiya.
Amid the thunderous cheers, he took the mic, smiled and said, “Mirzapur sabhi ne dekha hai, sabko hi bahut pasand hai. Ab Mirzapur ki film ban rahi hai, shooting almost done hai.”
Hoots and applause echoed through the hall across the session. Delivering some of his most-loved dialogues on popular demand and slipping in nuggets of wisdom between the laughter, the 49-year-old kept the audience thoroughly entertained in a lively, free-wheeling chat with the moderator. DU students and even faculty members listened in awe.
When asked what advice he had for Gen Z, Tripathi grinned and said they were already ahead of the curve and did not really need any from him. But he offered one anyway: “Learn as many languages as possible. It is wonderful to know your mother tongue well, but being multilingual helps you grow. I am learning Marathi myself.”
Among the loudest cheerleaders was Ritik Mishra, a first-year student of Ramjas College. “I have watched Mirzapur at least three times. Seeing Kaleen Bhaiya live feels unreal. This is better than any fest performance,” he said. Priya Chandra from Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College (ARSD) was equally excited: “One minute he is Kaleen Bhaiya, the next he is talking about poetry and life lessons. Listening to him live on campus felt like a masterclass in life. But it also felt like we were chatting with someone from our own family.”
{{/usCountry}}Among the loudest cheerleaders was Ritik Mishra, a first-year student of Ramjas College. “I have watched Mirzapur at least three times. Seeing Kaleen Bhaiya live feels unreal. This is better than any fest performance,” he said. Priya Chandra from Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College (ARSD) was equally excited: “One minute he is Kaleen Bhaiya, the next he is talking about poetry and life lessons. Listening to him live on campus felt like a masterclass in life. But it also felt like we were chatting with someone from our own family.”
{{/usCountry}}As the conversation turned reflective, Tripathi recited lines from Kedarnath Singh’s poem, “Jaise diya siraya jaata hai,” unpacking each word in his inimitable lyrical style.
He asked the audience, “Kuch bacha nahi hai na, kuch aur sunna toh nahi hai?” The young crowd responded in perfect unison, “Mirzapur!”
Without missing a beat, he delivered the iconic line: “Maurya ji, aap jis sheher mein naukar banke aaye hain, hum malik hai us sheher ke!”
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