<p>Pankaj Tripathi is arguably one of the most underrated performers in the Hindi film industry. The self-made star began his acting career with a minor role in Run and eventually emerged as a force to be reckoned with due to his 'desi' dialogue delivery, humble nature and sincere performances. On Sunday, as 'Kaleen', turns 45, here is a look at five of his best films.<br /> </p>.<p><strong>Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)</strong><br /><br />Pankaj essayed the role of butcher-turned-killer Sultan Qureshi in <em>Gangs of Wasseypur</em>, which is widely regarded as his breakthrough film. Director Anurag Kashyap's magnum opus was set in the Hindi heartland and featured Manoj Bajpayee in the lead. It received rave reviews from critics and attained cult status. The action-thriller, however, did not do too well at the box office.<br /><br /><strong>Gurgaon (2016)</strong><br /><br />The actor's first film in a lead role, <em>Gurgaon </em>was a thriller that revolved around the troubled family life of a real estate tycoon based in Haryana. The movie garnered a fair deal of attention due to riveting and dark narrative, which featured several gruesome scenes. The Shanker Raman-directed flick made a decent impact at the box office given the fact that it received a limited release.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/i-take-criticism-positively-try-to-understand-where-its-coming-from-pankaj-tripathi-932083.html" target="_blank">I take criticism positively, try to understand where it's coming from: Pankaj Tripathi</a></strong><br /><br /><strong>Newton (2017)</strong><br /><br />The versatile actor teamed up with National Award winner Rajkummar Rao for <em>Newton</em>, a film about the importance of free and fair voting in a democracy, which was chosen as India's official entry to the Oscars. His scenes with the <em>Citylights </em>star proved to be the backbone of the Amit Masurkar-directed drama.Pankaj received a 'Special Mention' at the National Awards for his work in Newton, which is no mean feat.<br /><br /><strong>Stree (2018)</strong><br /><br />Pankaj reunited with Rajkumar for <em>Stree</em>, one the biggest hits of his career. The horror-comedy featured him in the role of paranologist and gave him a platform to showcase his comic timing. The film received rave reviews for irs quirky plot and engaging screenplay, which helped it emerge as a gamechanger for the horror-comedy genre in Bollywood.<br /><br /><strong>Gunjan Saxena (2020)</strong></p>.<p>Pankaj experimented with his reel image when he essayed the role of a caring father in <em>Gunjan Saxena</em>, a film inspired by the life of the 'Kargil Girl'. His scenes with Janhvi Kapoor, who played his reel daughter, hit the right notes as they were as heartwarming as can be. The film was to be released in theatres but that did not happen due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It ultimately premiered on an OTT platform, emerging as a digital success.<br /><br /><br /> </p>
<p>Pankaj Tripathi is arguably one of the most underrated performers in the Hindi film industry. The self-made star began his acting career with a minor role in Run and eventually emerged as a force to be reckoned with due to his 'desi' dialogue delivery, humble nature and sincere performances. On Sunday, as 'Kaleen', turns 45, here is a look at five of his best films.<br /> </p>.<p><strong>Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)</strong><br /><br />Pankaj essayed the role of butcher-turned-killer Sultan Qureshi in <em>Gangs of Wasseypur</em>, which is widely regarded as his breakthrough film. Director Anurag Kashyap's magnum opus was set in the Hindi heartland and featured Manoj Bajpayee in the lead. It received rave reviews from critics and attained cult status. The action-thriller, however, did not do too well at the box office.<br /><br /><strong>Gurgaon (2016)</strong><br /><br />The actor's first film in a lead role, <em>Gurgaon </em>was a thriller that revolved around the troubled family life of a real estate tycoon based in Haryana. The movie garnered a fair deal of attention due to riveting and dark narrative, which featured several gruesome scenes. The Shanker Raman-directed flick made a decent impact at the box office given the fact that it received a limited release.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/i-take-criticism-positively-try-to-understand-where-its-coming-from-pankaj-tripathi-932083.html" target="_blank">I take criticism positively, try to understand where it's coming from: Pankaj Tripathi</a></strong><br /><br /><strong>Newton (2017)</strong><br /><br />The versatile actor teamed up with National Award winner Rajkummar Rao for <em>Newton</em>, a film about the importance of free and fair voting in a democracy, which was chosen as India's official entry to the Oscars. His scenes with the <em>Citylights </em>star proved to be the backbone of the Amit Masurkar-directed drama.Pankaj received a 'Special Mention' at the National Awards for his work in Newton, which is no mean feat.<br /><br /><strong>Stree (2018)</strong><br /><br />Pankaj reunited with Rajkumar for <em>Stree</em>, one the biggest hits of his career. The horror-comedy featured him in the role of paranologist and gave him a platform to showcase his comic timing. The film received rave reviews for irs quirky plot and engaging screenplay, which helped it emerge as a gamechanger for the horror-comedy genre in Bollywood.<br /><br /><strong>Gunjan Saxena (2020)</strong></p>.<p>Pankaj experimented with his reel image when he essayed the role of a caring father in <em>Gunjan Saxena</em>, a film inspired by the life of the 'Kargil Girl'. His scenes with Janhvi Kapoor, who played his reel daughter, hit the right notes as they were as heartwarming as can be. The film was to be released in theatres but that did not happen due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It ultimately premiered on an OTT platform, emerging as a digital success.<br /><br /><br /> </p>
