Pankaj Tripathi: ‘You will not see the trademark Pankaj Tripathi in Kadak Singh’

Pankaj Tripathi and Parvathy in a still from Kadak Singh.

The numerous projects Pankaj Tripathi has done in films and series over the years have one thing in common — they have not been short on variety, whether in terms of genres or shades of characters. Even then, the National Award-winning actor believes that his upcoming film Kadak Singh on Zee5 on December 8 is different from everything else he has done. Directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury (of Pink fame), the movie sees Tripathi in the role of a man who is suffering from retrograde amnesia and also trying to make sense of a financial crime which he had been investigating.

The Mimi actor delves into the making of his character Kadak Singh and why it is so special for him. Edited excerpts from an interview:

The trailer of Kadak Singh looks different from the rest of the films you have done. It seems more intense. Was that a conscious move on your part?

Yes, you will not see the trademark Pankaj Tripathi in Kadak Singh. It is a very interesting script and a little away from my comfort zone. It gave me the opportunity to experiment as well and not do what I usually do or made to do. Here, what I have been made to do is different which is why you can see the intensity. Usually, we say in film promotions that it’s a different film. I say this genuinely that whatever I have done so far, Kadak Singh is very different from it.

Was that any special prep which went into the making of your character?  

Prior to the shoot, we did a 10-day workshop with Prasanna sir who is my teacher. The prep was only that I would go for shooting from Versova to Ghatkopar in the Metro, wearing a mask and cap. Luckily, nobody made a video or reel of me doing that! I would reach within 20 minutes and the time would easily pass being in the midst of people rushing to go to work, observing their attire and their mannerisms.

The cast and crew include National Award-winner Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, screenwriter Ritesh Shah, and actors such as Bangladeshi actress Jaya Ahsan and Parvathy Thiruvothu. How was the experience of working with this talented bunch of people?  

It was a brilliant experience; one of the best experiences of my career. All are so creative and better than that, they are good people. When you see the film, you will realise how they have played with lighting in a room with just a window or the way they have explored different angles and frames.

Pankaj Tripathi and Paresh Pahuja in a still from Kadak Singh.

A few days ago, you gave an interview in which you kept asking the interviewee what the question was. It’s almost ironic that you are playing a patient undergoing retrograde amnesia in this film. Do you tend to forget a lot in real life as well?  

No, I just tend to forget questions during interviews. When someone asks me a question, I get ten different thoughts and answers and once I pursue one thought, some sub-plot or story related tends to follow and I forget what the question was. It only happens during interviews. I forget the origin of the thought and once I realise that I am going towards nonsense, I like to pause and cross-check what the question was.

It's said that acting also needs riyaaz. Is there something you do on a regular basis which helps you hone your craft?

You have to stay connected with society and be aware of what is happening around you. I recently did an awareness campaign for online payment; to make people aware of what happens if someone sends you a link to click on proclaiming that it will double your money. I have seen people around me fall prey to such scams, which is the reason I immediately said yes when I got the offer to do this campaign. Lobh aur laabh mein antar hota hai (there is a difference between greed and profit) and people should be aware of it. I had seen that problem around me, and so I could connect to it. As actors, we should know what is happening in society, in the digital world, what the Gen Z and millennials are thinking, what a retired person’s life is like, how do people from lower-class, middle-class and upper-class live, etc. Acting is a very extensive field and you can be trained for it in many ways. Training does not need to be confined to a room; you can observe and learn even when you are just walking down a busy road. I am shooting in Andheri today and there is a man who comes to give a massage. He is a simple man, who has never been outside and I listen to him talk about what is happening around him. He thinks all trains go to Bhopal! He doesn’t know that trains go to other parts of India too. That got me thinking, that there are such simple people in the world too. Anyway, I have digressed again… please ask me the next question.

Main Atal Hoon and Kadak Singh are close to my heart... One is a biopic and the other has a modern sensibility... Both need to be seen with patience and focus.

Pankaj Tripathi in a still from Kadak Singh.

For the last two or three years, after the pandemic lockdown especially, you have been saying that you want to slow down and take up fewer projects. Have you managed to do that?

Not yet but it will happen next year onward. Post March-April, I will have fewer film releases.

Some of your forthcoming projects include Main Atal Hoon, Gulkanda Tales, Stree 2, Mirzapur 3, Metro in Dino, Murder Mubarak and Criminal Justice 4. Is it difficult to keep track of so many films and play recurring characters in many of them?

Dikkat hoti hai (I find it difficult now), which is the reason I have been talking about doing lesser work in the past few years. I can just say that bhookh zyada lagi ho to overeating ho hi jata hai (when you are really hungry, you tend to overeat). I didn’t even realise when I became so busy and now, I feel it’s difficult to shoot so much. I cannot work 365 days a year.

After Kadak Singh, you have the release of Main Atal Hoon in which you are playing the role of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee…

Atal... and Kadak Singh are films that are close to my heart. They belong to different worlds. One is a biopic and the other has a modern approach and sensibility with lots of elements. Both films need to be seen with patience and focus.

Is there any role which you would like to explore but have not been approached for it till now?

I would like to play a character from another gender. That’s something I would really like to do.