Pankaj Tripathi is a well-known figure in the Bollywood industry. Saying that the actor has turned into a brand in and of himself wouldn’t be wrong. With each new film, the actor has demonstrated his flexibility by delivering everything from flawless comedic timing to a grey character that is as stunning. Now, the actor is preparing for Main Atal Hoon’s premiere, a biographical film about the late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In an interview with India TV, the actor recently spoke candidly about various topics, including his upbringing and village life. 

Speaking regarding his childhood, Pankaj Tripathi revealed that he used to do bicycle stunts to get popular among girls. When they were in the seventh or eighth grade, there was a boy who would do these kinds of things and was quite popular amongst the girls. The actor went on to quip that his school held a slow cycle race, and the winner gained popularity with the girls. Pankaj lost, which is why he learnt the same skill, hoping to win next year.

Pankaj Tripathi talked about an exciting time in his childhood when he decided to learn how to swim. He mentioned that he wished to learn to swim. Behind their house was a river with tiny black insects swimming on top of it. The other naughty kids told the actor he would learn to swim if he drank these insects. Furthermore, the actor disclosed, “I picked up 10-12 of those insects and drank them with the water. I am thankful that my stomach didn’t get upset.”

The original surname of Pankaj Tripathi was Tiwari, not Tripathi. Regarding this incident, the actor stated, “It must be the first time in history that a father got a name from his son. I was filling out the admit card for the 10th standard. My uncle would use the surname Tripathi, and he had become an officer in the government. There was also one Baba who had a Tripathi surname; he became a Hindi professor. Those who had my surname, Tiwari, were either priests or were doing farming. So, I thought this was because of the surname. I didn’t want to become a farmer or a priest. So, I wrote my name as Tripathi in the form. But then I thought I couldn’t write my father’s name as Tiwari in the form as it might get rejected. So I changed his name too.”

Source: India TV