Pankaj Tripathi says he initially struggled with portrayal of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in biopic, shares how he changed his approach
Mumbai, July 26
Actor Pankaj Tripathi, who is gearing up for his upcoming film 'Mirzapur: The Movie', has shared that he initially struggled with the portrayal of former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in his biopic 'Main Atal Hoon'.
The actor appeared on the chat show 'Shekhar Tonite' hosted by Shekhar Suman. When the show host asked him about how he approached his part, the actor said, "I read a lot of books on Atal Ji. I saw his old speeches. And it was very challenging for me because I am very bad at mimicry. So I was in a dilemma about how much I will be able to mimic Atal Ji. The scene which he had put in the trailer, that was the first day. I was struggling with how much I will be able to hold the mannerism, or not. And that shot came in the trailer".
He further mentioned, "I was holding my head. I said, 'Why did they put this in the trailer?'. Then I felt that the person is more what his outer appearance is. The person is more what his thoughts are. In Indian cinema, there is a pressure that if a popular person's biopic is being made, then the audience wants them to do the same".
"And they judge that he is not looking like Atal Ji. Atal Ji's story is not made for how Atal Ji looks. Atal Ji's story is important because of his journey, his wisdom, his thoughts, his personality. And in the story, what we have seen in the dialogues, that is fine. But what Atal Ji thinks in his room, we have not seen that. We do not know that. So it was a big challenge", he added.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Love his honesty about struggling with mannerisms. That's what makes a great actor - not just copying but understanding the soul of the character. Atal ji's thoughts and poetry are what made him iconic, not his style.
Yaar but biopic mein look bhi toh matter karta hai. Atal ji ki aankhon mein woh tez si nigaah thi. Pankaj sir is a fine actor but hope he got the essence right. Atal ji was a poet first, politician later.
This is so refreshing to hear in an era of over-the-top performances. Pankaj sir's humility and dedication to understanding the person rather than just the politician is commendable. Atal ji's journey needs to be shown with dignity, not just mimicry.
Atal ji was probably musing in his room about poetry and nuclear tests simultaneously! 😄 Pankaj sir ka approach sahi hai - if you can't capture the soul, the mimicry is just empty. He'll do justice to the role.
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