Pankaj Tripathi recalls real-life gangsters approached him after Gangs of Wasseypur: ‘They thought of me as their idol’

Pankaj Tripathi gained widespread recognition with his portrayal of gangster Sultan Qureshi in Anurag Kashyap's iconic film Gangs of Wasseypur.

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | January 7, 2024 03:58 PM IST

Pankaj Tripathi in a still from Gangs of Wasseypur.

Renowned for his diverse roles in Hindi cinema, Pankaj Tripathi gained widespread recognition with his portrayal of gangster Sultan Qureshi in Anurag Kashyap’s iconic film Gangs of Wasseypur. Despite the relatively smaller screen time, Tripathi’s impactful performance resonated with audiences and even garnered attention from real-life gangsters who saw Sultan aka Tripathi as an idol.

During an interview with India TV, Tripathi was asked if the rumour of gangsters approaching him after he played the character of Sultan in Gangs of Wasseypur is true. Admitting the same, the actor said in Hindi, “Many gangsters approached me. At that time, many gangsters in North and South India started thinking of me as their idol. They thought Sultan does what he speaks in the film, and he also has a good character in the film. So, they started liking Sultan a lot. Many writers after that, who would come to narrate stories to me, would be scared that I would take out a knife from my pocket.”

During the interview, the actor also revealed that he was shooting for a daily soap when he got the offer to play Sultan in Gangs Of Wasseypur. He asked the show’s makers to accommodate his schedule. However, since they didn’t agree to the same, he left the show to shoot for the Anurag Kashyap film.

Also read | Gangs of Wasseypur turns 10: The sustained success of Anurag Kashyap’s gangster epic, one of the most influential films of the last decade

Released in 2012, Gangs of Wasseypur catapulted into a cult classic. The film, which was released in two parts, spearheaded a change in Hindi films with its dark humour, experimental soundtrack, and its raw and realistic filmmaking style, which was never done before in Bollywood films. It also starred an ensemble of iconic Hindi film actors, including Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Pankaj Tripathi, Richa Chadha, Huma Qureshi and Tigmanshu Dhulia in the major roles.

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