Pankaj Tripathi on playing Kaleen Bhaiya in Mirzapur: ‘People call him criminal, but…’

(L-R) Divyenndu, Pankaj Tripathi, and Ali Fazal in ‘Mirzapur: The Film’

In September, Pankaj Tripathi reported to the shoot of Mirzapur: The Film in Mumbai. Mention the movie, and the actor smiles at the symmetry of his journey with the franchise. "I began filming the series with the last scene of that season. Now, after all these years, my first day was again spent shooting the last scene," he grins.

Starring Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Shweta Tripathi, and Rasika Dugal, the crime drama became wildly popular over its three seasons. Now, director Gurmmeet Singh is taking the Prime Video series to the big screen - a move that Tripathi thinks is "a bold gamble." He says, "It's the first time in India that a series is being transformed into a theatrical feature. It shows the faith the producers have in the story and these characters."

Pankaj Tripathi, Shweta Tripathi and Rasika Dugal

Tripathi's Kaleen Bhaiyya, an Uttar Pradesh-based gangster, is one of the most memorable antagonists in recent Hindi offerings. But the actor views him differently. "People call him a criminal, but I've always seen Kaleen as a businessman. He is soft-spoken, calm, and calculative. If you didn't know what his business was, you might even find him poetic."

Returning to Mirzapur's world is always an enjoyable experience for the actor. It also reminds him of the long journey he has had from his home state Bihar to Bollywood. "While chatting recently with Rasika, I remembered that for the first 18-19 years of my life, I didn't even use a toothbrush. We didn't have that concept in the village because there wasn't a market nearby. These little things remind me of how far life has brought me. I didn't do things like cutting a cake on my birthday. I didn't grow up with that culture - there were no gifts, no birthday celebrations."