Pankaj Tripathi reacts to Pankaj Jha's accusation of romanticizing his struggle: 'All this noise doesn’t affect me’

Pankaj Tripathi and Pankaj Jha

Panchayat actor Pankaj Jha recently took a dig at Mirzapur star Pankaj Tripathi and called him out for romanticizing his struggles. Now, Tripathi has hit back at Jha for the remark and said that he never tried to glamorize his hardship and struggles. Tripathi also shared that he never said he would tie a gamcha (towel) on his waist and sleep outside Andheri station.

In an interview with India Today, when Pankaj Tripathi was asked about Jha's comment, he reacted by saying, "I never romanticized my journey or struggles. Yes, I did mention that my wife used to earn while I looked for work. I never said that I would tie a gamcha (towel) on my waist and sleep outside Andheri station. I had a good and happy life when we moved to Mumbai. I have never tried to glamorize or seek sympathy from it."

"We live our own journeys and fight our own battles. When you read or hear these stories, some may get inspired. And even if they don't, that's not an issue. One has just to live their own lives the way they want," the Mirzapur star added.

While continuing, Tripathi said that he takes inspiration from Om Puri, Irrfan Khan, and Manoj Bajpayee, "I have also been influenced a lot by Om saab (Om Puri), Irrfan, or Manoj bhaiya (Manoj Bajpayee). I have definitely taken inspiration from them. Similarly, some may be motivated by my journey or someone else's. We are all on our journey and if someone may connect with some part of it, not necessarily in terms of acting and art but in any way," the Mirzapur actor remarked.

When asked if such allegations by colleagues hurt him, he said, "Not at all. I am not someone to get hurt. All this noise doesn't affect me at all."

On the work front, Pankaj Tripathi will next be seen in his much-anticipated series Mirzapur Season 3. Produced by Excel Media & Entertainment, Mirzapur Season 3 is directed by Gurmmeet Singh and Anand Iyer. It boasts a stellar ensemble cast, including Ali Fazal, Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Rasika Dugal, Vijay Varma, Isha Talwar, Anjum Sharma, Priyanshu Painyuli, Harshita Shekhar Gaur, Rajesh Tailang, Sheeba Chadha, Meghna Malik, and Manu Rishi Chadha. The ten-episode series will premiere exclusively on Prime Video on July 5.