A boy who was a farmer until he was in the 11th standard at school, used to play the role of a girl in his village's natak, which was appreciated by the villagers, and with immense hard work, he ultimately prompted him to make a career out of acting. The boy is none other than the most accomplished and brilliant actor Pankaj Tripathi. Pankaj debuted in 2004 with a minor role in 'Run' and 'Omkara' and has since worked in more than 40 films and 60 television shows. Tripathi's breakthrough came in 2012 for his antagonistic role in the 'Gangs of Wasseypur' film series.

On his special day, let's talk about his exceptional work and films that made us fall in love with him -

Gangs of Wasseypur


Remember the mafia saga that finds a strong connection with Godfather, well everyone loved Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Manoj Bajpayee but one actor who took hearts with his perfect acting was Pankaj in the role of Sultan Qureshi. Even in this side role, the actor knew how to set up himself in the heap of talented actors.

Mirzapur


Taking on the mob and drug underworld in the Purvanchal region, Mirzapur gives us the international crime thriller we never knew we needed. Pankaj's role as Akhandanand Tripathi is one aspect that makes the audience stay connected with the series. In the world of dark crime, Tripathi knows how to behave like a boss.

Newton


Even in the role of assistant commandant Aatma Singh who always possessed negative thoughts and demoralized his colleagues, even in such kind of role Pankaj Tripathi won the honor for his acting in 2017's Newton.

Stree


Pankaj Tripathi's famous dialogue 'Sabka Aadhar Link Hai Iske Paas' from Stree made the audience roar with laughter. His comic role as Rudra is still in everyone's mind and his sly jibe at India's Aadhar system was exceptional.

Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl


A father who loves her daughter supported her in the tiff and turns of life. In the film, Pankaj was more praised for his lovable acting shines like a bright star along with Janhvi Kapoor.

There are still several films like Fukrey (2013), Masaan (2015), Nil Battey Sannata (2016), Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017), in which Pankaj earned critical acclaim for his every role whether it was antagonist or protagonist. Tripathi earned several awards in his career but for Newton, he won a 'National Film Award - Special Mention'. Well, we may forget many of his best works in the above-mentioned list but the actor's work will never vanish through our memories. Happy Birthday to Pankaj Tripathi from the Santa Banta team who has earned a big name in a short career period.