Pankaj Tripathi discussed a wide range of subjects, such as his early years, his journey to the film industry from a small Bihar town, and his thoughts on what he believes to be the cause of Hindi cinema’s apparent growing audience disengagement.
Actor Pankaj Tripathi, who won a National Award, attended the fifth Expresso show in Mumbai on Thursday. The amazing raconteur discussed a wide range of subjects, such as his early years, his journey to the film industry from a small Bihar town, and his thoughts on what he believes to be the cause of Hindi cinema’s apparent growing audience disengagement.
The actor questioned, “If we are not providing rooted stories, why will people connect with our films?”
Pankaj noted that there was a certain enchantment about films from the 1990s and before. We felt a connection to the characters as we watched them move and converse on television. We shared their laughter. We shared their tears. However, magic is no longer present. The audience needs to feel connected to the character and is searching for relatability. The Mirzapur star added, “They are in a quest for rootedness, which they are not quite getting anymore.” He also mentioned how his movie Bareilly Ki Barfi just made a comeback to the big screen and won hearts all over again. “Rooted narratives are quite important. Hindi cinema will always have issues if it disconnects from its history.
Pankaj Tripathi stated that he fully agreed with the recent remarks made by his Gangs of Wasseypur director Anurag Kashyap regarding Bollywood, particularly the criticism of the industry for failing to promote creativity and relying on established formulas and profit margins. Take a look at how many horror comedies were produced after Stree. People will eventually stop laughing and becoming afraid, Pankaj noted, drawing a comparison to the influx of item songs that dominated Hindi cinema. “The filmmakers said that they were following public demand when I questioned why there were so many of them.
However, which members of the public sit down and send letters to them requesting that certain songs be included? The decision to follow what they believe to be the recipe for success is entirely up to the manufacturers. People will quickly grow disinterested if there is no room for experimenting,” the actor stated.
In fact, using his own career as an example, Pankaj contended, “I get a character like Kaleen Bhaiyya from Mirzapur at least once every week.” However, because I’m currently in the fourth season of the show, why would I want to play characters that are identical to this one? It’s as if producers want to milk a cow till it doesn’t turn around and abandon them.