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Lucknow Central actor Manwendra Tripathy: Things are looking up but a long way to go
Lucknow Central actor Manwendra Tripathy says after completing a decade in Mumbai he is now able to get roles that justify his education and theatre experience
The Lucknow Central (2017) actor Manwendra Tripathy says after completing a decade in Mumbai he is now able to get roles that justify his education and theatre experience.
“After graduating from the National School of Drama (NSD), I came to Mumbai in 2014. Today, I can say that I am getting better and meatier roles, but still can’t say that I have arrived. In fact, I have eventually got the right start and from here I can see things getting better. After 10 years, if I’m getting a chance to perform and deliver to the best of ability then it means I am on the right path,” says the actor who shot to fame from chef Ranveer Brar’s show Raja Rasoi aur Andaaz Anokha where he played his help Mannu Bhaiya.
On his recent visit to Lucknow, he shared, “Everyone wants money and popularity, but my thirst is to fully justify the roles I am being offered so that they stay in the memory of the audience. I started doing theatre in the year 2000 so it’s almost 24 years now. Still my quest to showcase my art is on.”
Tripathy, 39, has a mix of projects in pipeline. The Little Things (2019) and Mai (2022) actor says, “I have a full-length role in Munuren which is doing round at the film festivals. Also, I am waiting for the release of director Ganesh Shetty’s film Anam and will be seen as a journalist in the digital film Phir Aai Haseen Dilruba along with OTT series Maharani 3 where I play a cop. I have a good role in the feature film Emergency as well.”
Talking more about his journey, he tells us, “After NSD, I started doing theatre with my senior in Kota, then with actor Ranjit Kapoor in Lucknow as well as in other places like Gopalganj and Patna. It was tough to survive on theatre, so I left for Mumbai looking for a better options. I got Budhia Singh: Born to Run (2016) where I had to shoot and kill the character essayed by actor Manoj Bajpayee. I knew this could be a turning point in my career but that scene was chopped off, and I was back to square one. But after the long wait things now are looking up.”
