MUMBAI: Acclaimed actor Pankaj Tripathi has shared why he was hesitant to return for another season of Criminal Justice to opening up about his preparation for portraying former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Main Atal Hoon,
Pankaj was seen as a guest on Shekhar Tonite has explained that actors have a limited role when it comes to shaping a series, as the larger world is built by writers, showrunners and the creative team.
However, he shared that he has become increasingly particular about returning to a successful franchise and shared how the script remains his biggest deciding factor.
He said: “Maine 2 hi show kiye hai abhi tak jo 4th season me chal rahe hai, Mirzapur aur Criminal Justice. Toh ab Criminal Justice 4 ka script aaya toh maine pehle bol diya ki ‘dekho bhaiya yeh script mere ko prabhavit karni chahiye tabhi main agle season ka hissa banunga’ toh aaye aur sach me kamaal ki script thi aur woh ab tak ke saare seasons ke upar chali gayi. Viewership me sabse zyada hai woh.”
("So far, I've only done two shows that have gone on to a fourth season Mirzapur and Criminal Justice. When the script for Criminal Justice 4 came to me, I told them upfront, 'Look, the script has to truly impress me. Only then will I agree to be part of another season.' They came back with a script that was genuinely outstanding. In fact, I believe it surpassed all the previous seasons. And now, it's become the most-watched season in terms of viewership.)"
The conversation then shifted towards Pankaj's acting process.
When asked whether he is constantly thinking about acting or simply switches into character once the camera starts rolling, the actor shared, “Main acting pe bohot zyada sochta hu…lekin main kirdaar jab karne jata hu tab itna nahi sochta hu. Kyuki mera maan’na hai ki actor ki preparation me bohot samay lagta hai aur bohot tayyari chahiye. Kirdaar ke preparation me agar actor tayyar hoga toh woh asaani se kirdaar ko pakad sakta hai. Uspe nahi sochta hu bohot.”
Pankaj also spoke about playing Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Main Atal Hoon.
He shared: “Maine Atal ji ki bohot saari kitabe padhi, purane speeches dekhe unke, aur mere liye yeh bohot chunauti-purn tha kyuki main mimicry me bohot kharab hu toh main bohot duvidha me tha ki main Atal ji ko kitna mimic kar paunga... Fir finally mujhe laga ki vyakti zyada woh hai jo uska bahri aavaran hai, ki vyakti zyada woh hai jo uske vichaar hai, uska wisdom hai.”
"I read many of Atal ji's books and watched a lot of his old speeches. For me, it was a very challenging role because I'm terrible at mimicry. I was constantly wondering how much of Atal ji I would be able to imitate. But eventually, I realised that a person is defined less by their outward mannerisms and more by their thoughts, their wisdom, and the values they embody."
Explaining how his perspective evolved during the process, Pankaj added, “Atal ji ki kahani Atal ji kaise lagte hai uske liye nahi bani hai. Atal ji ki kahani uske liye mahatva-purn hai ki unki yatra kya rahi hai, unki wisdom kya hai, unke vichaar kya hai, woh vyaktitva kya the... Toh pehle toh bada chunauti-purn tha.”
("Atal ji's story isn't about how he looked or sounded. What truly matters is his journey, his wisdom, his ideas, and the kind of person he was. That's what his story is really about. Initially, it was a huge challenge, but once I understood that, my approach to portraying him changed.)"
