Actor Pankaj Tripathi has always been a favourite subject of memers. After his latest web series Mirzapur 2, many memes featuring the actor have gone viral on social media. Tripathi says he enjoys it! “It feels good. Being an actor, my purpose is to entertain people. Memes being made on me means people love my acting and are accepting me — that I am able to entertain them. I want to say thank you to all those who create memes on me. They are very creative people. Some of the memes are actually very good,” Tripathi told IANS.
The actor continues to enjoy immense popularity among the audience and has a rapidly growing fan base. It adds up to his sense of responsibility, he reveals.
“People connect with me over calls and messages. They discuss me at the dining table. I am a simple person who came from a small village. Seeing people talking about me makes me humble. It is an amazing experience. Our audiences love and understand acting, and shower me with so much love. It is also an added responsibility when people say they want to watch a film or series because I am starring in it,” said the actor.
Does he feel the pressure to perform owing to increasing expectations of the audience? “I never take pressure upon myself because whatever I do, I do it with 100 per cent sincerity. People’s expectations from me only make me more responsible. It’s not pressure, it’s responsibility,” he explained.
Would he like to give credit to the OTT platforms for his success and growing popularity? “OTT platforms have been the main options (for entertainment) over the last eight to nine months. Of course, OTT has had a role to play but cinema has an equal contribution, I would say. However, cinema never made me reach till the poster, which OTT did. If 100 people watch a film, its poster reaches at least a 1,000 people!” he concluded.
Tripathi’s kitty is currently full with forthcoming films like “83”, “Mimi”, “Kaagaz”, “Bunty Aur Babli 2” and the web series “Criminal Justice 2”.