Panchayat actor Pankaj Jha recently took an indirect jibe at Mirzapur actor Pankaj Tripathi for romanticising his struggles. Now, 'Kaleena Bhaiya' has come forward and responded to such claims in an interview. In a chat with India Today, Pankaj Tripathi said that he never tried to romanticise his struggles and also mentioned that he never tried to seek sympathy for his struggles.
''I never romanticised my journey or struggles. Yes, I did mention that my wife used to earn while I looked for work. I never said that I would tie a gamcha (towel) on my waist and sleep outside Andheri station. I had a good and happy life when we moved to Mumbai. I have never tried to glamorise or seek sympathy from it,'' Pankaj Tripathi said.
Talking about if his journey to stardom inspires people, he added, ''We live our own journeys and fight our own battles. When you read or hear these stories, some may get inspired. And even if they don't, that's not an issue. One has just to live their own lives the way they want.''
''I have also been influenced a lot by Om saab (Om Puri), Irrfan, or Manoj bhaiya (Manoj Bajpayee). I have definitely taken inspiration from them. Similarly, some may be motivated by my journey or someone else’s. We are all on our journey and if someone may connect with some part of it, not necessarily in terms of acting and art but in any way,'' he further said about his inspiration in life.
For the unversed, Pankaj Tripathi once recounted the 'slipper incident' on The Kapil Sharma Show where he revealed that while he was working at a hotel, Manoj Bajpayee stayed there as a guest. He being Bajpayee's big fan took his slippers as a keepsake.
On the work front, Pankaj Tripathi will next be seen in Mirzapur 3, reprising his popular role of Kaleen Bhaiya. The series will be out on Amazon Prime Video on July 5.
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