Actor Pankaj Tripathi has revealed that he chose to take a brief pause from acting after a feeling of monotony began to set in. In a recent interview, the actor said he wants to take up projects that genuinely excite him, rather than signing on to roles merely to keep up with financial commitments such as paying EMIs.
Pankaj Tripathi on his break
In an interview with Variety India, Pankaj shared that he got bored of the projects he was working on.
“I was working back-to-back on projects. A sense of boredom and fatigue had crept in. I wasn’t enjoying my work. A break was much needed. I have become more selective now. I leave my home for work that excites me. I don’t want to do every project that comes my way. I am in a phase of life where I only act for excitement and artistic satisfaction. I can’t do it for EMI and survival. I want to keep doing this and see if this works for me in the long run,” he said.
During an interview with NDTV, Pankaj opened up why he took a pause from his “fast-paced” career. Last year, he had only one film, Metro… In Dino, and one series, Criminal Justice: A Family Matter.
“I used to promote the slow life and myself got into the fast life, especially in the pre-Covid and post-Covid era. I realised an actor must use their weapons after a lot of care and thought. I don’t have many liabilities now. I thought I should only associate with stories that excite me. Working non-stop for 30 days tires you out. And, I was tired,” Pankaj said.
He added, “You tend to overeat when you are hungry. What’s great about overeating is that you find out that the damage is done after 10-15 minutes. I felt like I was working a lot and I didn’t need to do that. Audience should also get to wait for me, what my next acting job would be. That’s why I slowed down. I act to live, not live to act. I have experienced the fast life, now I want to try the slow one. I’ll reanalyse which is the better method in some time.”
More about Pankaj Tripathi
Pankaj grew up in a family of farmers and priests in the town of Belsand in Gopalganj district, Bihar. He went to Patna for his college, where he first got involved in theatre, while studying hotel management. After working for two years as an assistant chef at a hotel in that city, Pankaj moved to Delhi, graduated from the National School of Drama in 2004, and shifted to Mumbai to try his luck in Bollywood.
He gained recognition for his role in Anurag Kashyap’s crime drama Gangs of Wasseypur. He carved a special place in showbiz with projects such as Fukrey, Masaan, Bareilly Ki Barfi, Stree, Ludo, Mirzapur, and Newton.
Pankaj recently turned producer with the web series, Perfect Family. Next, he will be seen in Mirzapur the Movie, which will release on September 4.