Actor Pankaj Tripathi has always been an advocate of the "slow life". So, when he got on the never-slowing down treadmill in the race to do more and better, he himself was pretty taken aback. But, good sense prevailed, he says, and he timely slowed down his pace.
In the last few weeks, singer Arijit Singh and stand-up comic Zakir Khan dominated headlines when they announced breaks from their respective careers. While Arijit Singh appeared to hint at 'creative reasons' behind quitting playback singing, Zakir Khan cited health reasons.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Pankaj Tripathi backed both Arijit Singh and Zakir Khan's decision to step away from the limelight, explained the importance of slowing down, and mental health awareness.
"You need a break to reinvent yourself. It's important to take frequent breaks or slow down as being an artist is a demanding job. Only then will an artist be able to do something new. We are not factory products.
"We aren't like those 1,000 copies of matchboxes that a factory produces every day. We are artists, not products... Bahut bhaag-daud hai, every actor has to struggle and sacrifice a lot to reach where they are today. You should be excited to go on set. And the motivation for that excitement keeps changing again and again," the Mirzapur star told NDTV.
There was a time when Pankaj Tripathi had five-six releases a year. In 2017, he had seven films coming out, including Newton, Bareilly Ki Barfi, Fukrey Returns, and Gurgaon.
Last year, the actor only had one film (Metro... In Dino) and one series (Criminal Justice: A Family Matter).
Pankaj Tripathi said it took him some time to "go back to basics".
"I used to promote the slow life and myself got into the fast life, especially in the pre-Covid and post-Covid era. I realised an actor must use their weapons after a lot of care and thought. I don't have many liabilities now. I thought I should only associate with stories that excite me. Working non-stop for 30 days tires you out. And, I was tired," he added.
"You tend to overeat when you are hungry. What's great about overeating is that you find out that the damage is done after 10-15 minutes. I felt like I was working a lot and I didn't need to do that. Audience should also get to wait for me, what my next acting job would be. That's why I slowed down. I act to live, not live to act. I have experienced the fast life, now I want to try the slow one. I'll reanalyse which is the better method in some time," he further said.
Recently, Pankaj Tripathi also served as a presenter on the YouTube web series Perfect Family. He decided to back the show directed by Ajay Rai because he believed in the story. Starring Gulshan Devaiah, Girija Oak Godbole, Manoj Pahwa, Seema Pahwa and Neha Dhupia, Perfect Family follows the story of the Mehras who decide to take family therapy.
"I wanted as many people as possible to watch something like this. Mental health still lacks awareness in our society. Shows like these can at least help in spreading awareness. How little things impact you and you don't even get to know about it. A lot of people have watched the show.
"This show matched my sensibility. I never invested any money in it, nor did I earn any profit from it. I only wanted to back a good story so that reaches a wider audience. My name was only an assurance that this show is worth your time," he added.
The actor also spoke about reuniting with his Aakrosh director Priyadarshan for an untitled comedy. He is also set to reprise his fan-favourite Mirzapur character Kaleen Bhaiya in Mirzapur The Movie.
"I love comedy but I haven't done a good comedy in a long time. Many people are stressed today, so laughing is just another form of comedy."
Pankaj Tripathi is also set to return to theatre after 12 years with the musical comedy stage play Lailaaj, which he has produced under his production banner Roopkatha Rangmanch along with his wife Mridula.
The play will see the actor in a cameo with his daughter Aashi. The father-daughter duo are set to perform on the stage for the first time together. Laailaaj will premiere at Mumbai's Rangsharda on February 8.
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