From ‘Dhauli Express’ To ‘Sacred Games’, Chittaranjan Tripathy’s Journey Is A Potboiler All The Way!

From ‘Dhauli Express’ To ‘Sacred Games’, Chittaranjan Tripathy’s Journey Is A Potboiler All The Way!

There are plenty of Odia artists who have carved a niche for themselves through their excellent body of work. Filmmaker Sadhu Meher, actor Nandita Das, director Nilamadhab Panda and singer Sona Mohapatra are only a few of the names that have proved their mettle in the Hindi film industry as well as abroad. Actor Chittaranjan Tripathy has just got added to that enviable list with his role in the immensely popular, first Indian-origin Hindi web series ‘Sacred Games’ on Netflix. Featuring along Bollywood heavy weights like Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tripathy’s deft portrayal of ‘Trivedi’ has now caught the attention of the industry as well as audience.

However, the recognition has come after years of perseverance during which he acted in many films including ‘Delhi 6’, ‘Phantom’,  ‘Shaandar’, ‘Talwar’, ‘Commando 2’, ‘Jagga Jasoos’, ‘Mukkabaaz’, ‘Fukrey Returns’, ‘Shubh Mangal Saavdhan’, ‘A Gentleman’, among others.

Hailing from Chandbali in Bhadrak district, Tripathy started off as a film-maker. The NSD alumnus, who now lives in Andheri West, Mumbai,hadwritten, directed and produced two Odia films, ‘Dhauli Express’ and ‘Mukhya Mantri.’ However, the two movies didn’t fare well at the box office which affected him financially after which Tripathy moved to Mumbai where he on to direct TV serials like ‘Dhund Legi Manzil Humein’, ‘Yeh Ishq Hai’, ‘Jaaney Pehchaney Se Ajnabee’, ‘Mano Ya Na Mano’ and a few episodes of ‘Saavdhaan India’.

After having established himself in Bollywood, he made a comeback in Ollywood with the film ‘Luv You Jessica’ after a gap of nine years and bagged the state award for being the‘Best Comedian’. He also replaced comedian Papu Pam Pam in the film ‘4 Idiots’, which was released on the occasion of ‘Raja’ this year.

Interestingly, the 45-year-old actor is a multi-faceted artist. Very active in the world of theatre as well, he has also composed over 500 songs for various plays. ‘Taj Mahal Ka Tender’ a play directed by him in 1998, is still running to packed audiences.

Currently, the actor has signed another Netflix web series ‘Rasbhari’ besides working for two upcoming Odia films, Barsha Priyadarshini starrer ‘Nimki’ and Anubhav Mohanty starrer ‘Prem Kumar’. MCL caught up with him for an exclusive conversation about his journey so far and his future plans.

Excerpts.

How was your experience acting in ‘Sacred Games’ with such big stars and directors of Bollywood? How did it come your way?

Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap are brilliant directors. I feel blessed getting to work with them. Similarly, Nawaz is a very enlightened actor and he understands his job very well. Coming to ‘getting the job’ part, after my audition I was selected by one of the most popular casting directors, Mukesh Chhabra.

Tell us about your journey in the acting profession.

Acting runs in my blood because my father and grandfather both were ‘palagahanas’ (lead singers of the Pala group). When I was a kid,I used to imitate ‘gitinatyas’ (musical plays) and entertain my family members and neighbours.After acting in a few plays, while I was doing my MA, I came to hear about NSD. In 1996, after completing my three-year acting course there, I got an offer to play the lead role in a film named ‘Biswaprakash’ by Susant Mishra aka Lulu Mishra. Unfortunately, that got shelved. So, I joined the NSD Repertory company for three and half years. After leaving the company, I started working as a freelancer director for leading theatre companies in New Delhi and also earned a few ‘Best Play of the Year’ awards from the Delhi government. Then, I got the Charles Wallace Fellowship given by British Government and got the opportunity to study acting at the Guildford School of Acting at UK. I also taught there for some time.After that stint, I returned to India and started directing daily soaps.

According to you, what could be the reason that Odia movies produced by you did not do well at the box office?

I feel I am responsible for it myself. I was unaware of the market and wasted a lot of money. Somewhere, I also feel that the educated audiences are just criticising Odia films, rather than going to watch them.  I will say it’s very difficult to get commercial profits from any movie in Odisha because of lesser cinema halls, low ticket cost and step-motherly attitude of the government.

Have you ever regretted being an actor?

I am a very lazy man; I can’t do anything else except cooking, eating, sleeping, singing, acting and directing! So, I never think that I have taken a wrong decision as far as choosing my profession is concerned.

How did you get into singing?

From my childhood, I was sent for music training to late Guru Bhaskar Chandra Das, one of the finest Odissi vocalists and Pakhawaj players. I started singing in Yuvavani program of all India Radio during my college days. That’s how it all started.

How much support do you get from your family, particularly from your wife?

My family always allowed me the freedom to make my own choices.I remember my father telling me, “I don’t know how will you manage such a big loss,but please make sure that you pay back the people you have taken money from”. He was a great inspiration for me. Instead of pointing out my faults like many parents do, he had faith in me. My wife is also a trained actor and has worked as the creative director for many Hindi serials. So, it’s easy for her to understand my work, and she supports me a lot.

What is the difference between films and web series or daily soaps?

There is no visible difference in the making or acting part. It’s like almost a movie; we are just making episodes out of it. But the difference lies in the accessibility. One can watch a web serieswhile travelling, taking rest or even in the bathroom! It’s a very convenient medium for audiences.But that doesn’t mean it will affect the movie business.

Who are the actors you consider your inspiration?

In Odia movies, I love to watch Bijay Mohanty and in Hindi movies, I admire actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Naseeruddin Shah.

What is the challenge for an actor?

I feel the main challenge for an actor is to understand different type of characters he/she gets to play. You have to listen to your director carefully and applying your experience, try your best to portray the character perfectly. At the end, it’s important to get work and entertain people.

You have done so many things in life; what do you think you’re best at?

It’s very difficult for me to judge myself. I can only say that I am an artist.

What is your message to aspiring actors?

God bless them.