Even though the recently released movie of the veteran theatre artist and movie actor Pankaj Tripathi’s ‘Oh My God 2’, the sequel to the Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal starrer ‘Oh My God’, had miserably failed to collect much money at the box office on the first day first opening of the movie, the performance of the actor in the movie has been extremely praised and adulated for, given the artistic portrayal of the character that he has done in the movie. From doing mere cameos and special appearances in several movies to graduating to roles that are more pronounced in movies such as ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, ‘Masaan’, ‘Nil Battey Sannata’, ‘Newton’, ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’, ‘Stree’ and ‘Mimi’, the actor has managed to get rave reviews from the audience for his stellar performance in most of his movies.  In a recent interview with ‘Mashable India’, regarding the promotion of his upcoming film ‘Oh My God 2’, he decided to share some of his moments of shooting from the Hrithik Roshan starrer movie ‘Agneepath’. While talking about the moments from the movie, he shared something from the sets of the shooting that shocked the audience severely as well as praising his downright artistry and talent in acting at the same time. Pankaj Tripathi revealed that he had to hold his breath for too long during the shooting of a stabbing sequence in the movie and had suffered a blackout on the sets while the camera was still rolling.

Pankaj Tripathi Stabbed into a Slumber

The movie ‘Agneepath’ starring Hrithik Roshan was revealed in the year 2012 Pankaj Tripathi starred as the sidekick of the main antagonist in the movie, ‘Kancha Cheena’ was played by Sanjay Dutt. He told that in that particular scene, he had to be stabbed almost 3 to 4 times by the protagonist, ‘Vijay Deenanath Chauhan’ that was played by Hrithik Roshan. As he did not know what it feels like to get stabbed, he decided to hold his breath for quite longer to bring in an element of realistic feeling within the scene. This cost him his breathing ability and he immediately fainted after a few takes. He recalled that as he had fainted he did not realize that the camera was still running. “In that scene, since he had to stab me 3-4 times. I held my breath reaction ke chakkar me (in an attempt to react). I didn’t know how a person felt when he is stabbed. So, if you watch that scene closely, you will see my eyes are completely red. One can only one’s imagination. I remember in the second or third take, I fainted for a few seconds. I fell,” told the ‘Criminal Justice’ actor. On top of this, he further added, “While the camera was rolling, I had a blackout and I fell because I must have held my breath for too long. People gathered around me quickly and splashed water on my face. I came to my senses to see so many people surrounding me.” 

This particular reaction showed the downright prowess in the actor and his unflinching determination and ability to push his limits that too at the expense of his physical well-being.

Commitment to Get it Right

Not just the ultimate dexterity in the skill of acting but everybody has also applauded at the same time the unwavering attitude of Pankaj Tripathi to get everything look authentic. He did not want to make the stabbing scene look like that a fake one but desperately wanted to bring in an element of authenticity in that. Therefore, he decided to hold his breath while the hero of the movie would stab him at least 3 to 4 times. As told him, the reason behind taking such a risk that, otherwise, could have got him hospitalized or proved to be fatal for him, was that he wanted to sink himself totally into the skin of the character that he was playing. He wanted the viewers of the movie to immerse themselves completely in the authenticity and the thrill of the particular scene and to take in every moment as they watch the movie.

The strong dedication towards his art as has been displayed by Pankaj Tripathi immediately won him the praise and approval of every single person, from the spot boys to the actors on the set of the shooting. He was provided with every kind of assistance for the rest of the shooting of the film. Despite suffering a complete blackout, Pankaj Tripathi decided to spring back with new force and energy to finish shooting for the rest of the film.

The film ‘Agneepath’ that was released in the year 2012 was a remake of the original film titled ‘Agneepath’ that starred several legendary actors such as Amitabh Bachchan in the role of the main hero, ‘Vijay Deenanath Chauhan’, and Danny Denzongpa as the main villain, ‘Kacha Cheena’. The film also had other legendary actors such as Mithun Chakraborty, Madhavi, Neelam Kothari, Rohini Hattangadi and Archana Puran Singh.

The brilliant talent in acting and unwavering dedication and diligence towards the art of Pankaj Tripathi serve as proof of the sacrifice that he had to undergo for making his art seem real. As audiences of the Hindi film industry, every one of us needs to praise and appreciate the effort and contribution that is made by every actor such as that of Pankaj Tripathi to make every moment of film watching entertaining for all of us. Their willingness and hard work to push the boundaries, both on a physical and emotional level, help in the elevation of the quality of the movies that are produced.  It also ensures the enjoyment of a film. As viewers, it is mandatory on our side to remember the extraordinary commitment made by artists such as Pankaj Tripathi, as our appreciation will be the biggest motivation for them to continue working harder.

On the work front, Pankaj Tripathi will be seen in the recent controversial release, ‘Oh My God 2’ with Akshay Kumar. The film has been made to provide teenagers with the concept of sex education but garnered some controversy as its theme was based on the Hindu religion. The film has grossly failed at the box office to reach its target viewers and has been awarded an ‘A’ (Adult) certificate. The film stars actress Sonakshi Sinha playing a lawyer.