Pankaj Jha, an actor with a career spanning over two decades, is recently winning hearts for his character of Vidhayak in Panchayat 3. His dialogues “Go kabutar, kabutar go”, and “Gaali nahi toh ghazal suniyega” is all over the internet. While the actor, who is also an artist who loves to paint, a poet and the author of the book “Agyaat Se Gyaat Tak”, is making headlines for his witty performance, he also came in the spotlight for a few statements he allegedly made against actor Pankaj Tripathi and filmmaker-actor Anurag Kashyap. It was reported that the actor in one of his interviews called Anurag Kashyap “liar and spineless”, while slammed Pankaj Tripathi for “glamorising” his struggle. However, in a recent conversation with indianexpress.com, the Gulal and Mithila Makhaan actor revealed that he never mentioned Tripathi’s name and his statements were twisted by publications for some “masala”.
Pankaj Jha, who is a follower of Osho, told indianexpress.com, “I never mentioned the name of any Tripathi in any of my interviews so far. You can go listen to all of my interviews, you will know I haven’t mentioned anybody’s name at all. This is very childish thing to do. Why will I go talk all this to anybody? Media always needs masala, I never said anything such, they just made it up. Becoming an actor is not the ultimate achievement. Just like how every actor wants to become a big star, similarly several journalists are also running behind fame. They make up stories to gain attention and recognition.”
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He added, “This news makes no sense. He (Pankaj Tripathi) is a very good friend of mine. We have worked together in films. He is my junior after all. He came much later, I have been in films for a very long time. Similarly, Anurag Kashyap is my friend. He is like a brother to me. We have worked together in films Gulal and Back Friday. Why will I go around talking ill about them?”
“All these news of me calling him spineless are all things twisted and made up. I don’t have a control on who will write what, they keep making up stories for their own benefit. Journalists are trusted with a lot of responsibilities, they are expected to inform us with good news, news that can educate, inform, not twist statements for masala,” said the Monsoon Wedding actor.
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“According to me, a journalist is who translates the news just as it is, without tweaking it for personal benefits. In the old days, my grandfather used to look for a trusted person to carry his message to a person in another village. It is a very responsible job, this person was trusted with a crucial information and was respected for carrying the exact message and not making things up in between. And that’s how it should be. Let them makeup stories and headlines, I am unbothered”, said Pankaj who hails from Bihar’s Saharsa.
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In an interview to Digital Commentary, Pankaj was asked about the time when he lost the role of Sultan in Gangs Of Wasseypur to Pankaj Tripathi. The interviewer asked, “Do you think this involved any internal politics?”, to which Pankaj Jha replied, “I stay unbothered of the politics. If I will be affected by the politics then it will be the victory of the person who is doing the politics. Why will I let that happen? People who do politics are cowards.”
He was next questioned about his bonding with Anurag Kashyap and still missing the role despite having worked with him in Gulal and Black Friday. To this, Pankaj said, “We are director-maker actors. If a film makes someone an actor, it also makes a director. But in this industry, we have so many cowards and spineless people who can’t even keep their opinion before others. Eventually, you understand that directors too are suffering without jobs.”
Bringing the conversation back to missing his role in Gangs of Wasseypur, Pankaj said, “I had gone to Patna for two days for a shoot. During that time, I received a message from Mukesh Chhabra who called me for the role, I told him, ‘I will take two days.’ By the time I returned, I was told someone else was given that role. At situations like this, especially when you are friends with the people involved, you develop some expectations. At that time, I wasn’t aware of the world so much. They must have been upset with me. During the same time, I met a journalist from Patna, because we were from the same place, I ended up talking to him. Later, he published things on his own. But, nothing was true. I still love Anurag Kashyap. I have no complains.”
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