Wait's over! Pankaj Tripathi shares update on 'Criminal Justice 4'
Pankaj Tripathi has established himself as the reigning king of OTT due to his roles in Sacred Games, Mirzapur, and Criminal Justice on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ Hotstar, respectively. While Sacred Games wrapped up years ago, Mirzapur's third season recently dropped. The wait for Criminal Justice Season 4 however, continues. Now, in an interview with Mid-Day, Tripathi revealed, "Madhav Mishra [his lawyer character] will return soon. We have wrapped up shooting."
Tripathi finds joy in exploring character's internal conflicts
Tripathi also spoke at length about his character in Mirzapur, Kaleen bhaiyya. "It's fun to explore when a man that powerful falls," he stated. "Kaleen bhaiyya is weak this time, struggling to survive. The joy of doing this character lies in seeing how it feels when he is not in his element." The actor also revealed a potential spiritual transformation for his character, saying, "At one point [in the season], it almost feels that he will become a spiritual man."
Tripathi's desire to accurately represent India's heartland
Tripathi, a native of Bihar, participated in Mirzapur with the aim to accurately represent people from India's heartland. "The bahubalis of Purvanchal have always been represented in a filmy fashion. Kaleen bhaiyya had to be done in a unique way—he is soft-spoken; he is polite on the face, but deep down, he is grey." The show also stars Vijay Varma and Ali Fazal in key roles.
Does he act for money? No!
Tripathi shared insights into his acting process, describing observing the world around him as his default mode. He said, "It's my default mode to observe the world around me, and interesting things are imprinted in my subconscious mind. I find it impossible to pinpoint which elements of Kaleen bhaiyya come from where." "Acting is not a means to make money for me. Every character teaches me what is inside me, what I have won and lost."
