Pankaj Tripathi (born 5 September 1976) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films and streaming series. The son of a farmer and priest from Bihar, he trained at the National School of Drama and played small roles for years before Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) brought him attention. He became a household name as the crime boss Kaleen Bhaiya in Mirzapur and is known for his calm, witty screen presence in films such as Newton, Stree, Mimi and OMG 2.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Pankaj Tripathi |
| Born | 5 September 1976, Belsand, Gopalganj, Bihar, India |
| Age | 50 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Education | National School of Drama, New Delhi (2004) |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Spouse | Mridula Tripathi (m. 2004) |
| Children | 1 (Aashi) |
| Known for | Gangs of Wasseypur, Newton, Stree, Mirzapur, Mimi |
Early Life
Tripathi grew up in Belsand, a village in Gopalganj district of Bihar, where his father was a farmer and a priest. As a boy he played female roles in village plays during festivals. He went to Patna for college and studied hotel management, working for a time in the kitchen of a Patna hotel while acting in local theatre. In 2001 he was admitted to the National School of Drama in Delhi, graduating in 2004.
Career
After moving to Mumbai in 2004 Tripathi took small parts in films such as Run (2004) and Omkara (2006), along with television work. His first notable role was Sultan Qureshi, the butcher-gangster, in Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur (2012).
Tripathi built a reputation with supporting roles in Masaan (2015), Nil Battey Sannata (2016), Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017) and Newton (2017), which was India’s entry for the Oscars and won him a Special Mention at the National Film Awards. He played the eccentric Rudra in the horror comedy Stree (2018) with Shraddha Kapoor, and in the same year he appeared as Akhandanand “Kaleen Bhaiya” Tripathi, the carpet merchant and crime lord of Mirzapur, opposite Vikrant Massey and Ali Fazal. He also played the mysterious Guruji in the second season of Sacred Games (2019).
Tripathi began playing leads and major roles, including the lawyer Madhav Mishra in the series Criminal Justice (2020–), Sattu in Ludo (2020) and a taxi driver in Mimi (2021), which won him the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. He played a devout father fighting for sex education in OMG 2 (2023) and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Main Atal Hoon (2024). He returned as Rudra in the blockbuster Stree 2 (2024).
Personal Life
Tripathi married Mridula, whom he met in his college days, in 2004. They have a daughter, Aashi. He often speaks about his village roots and still visits Belsand regularly. He is known for avoiding Bollywood parties and for his simple lifestyle.
Awards and Honours
Selected Filmography
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Pankaj Tripathi born?
Pankaj Tripathi was born on 5 September 1976 in Belsand, Gopalganj, Bihar, India and is 50 years old.
What is Pankaj Tripathi known for?
Known for: Gangs of Wasseypur, Newton, Stree, Mirzapur, Mimi.
Featured image: Pankaj Tripathi (left) with Anjali Patil and Rajkummar Rao at the world premiere of Newton, Berlin International Film Festival, 10 February 2017. Photo by Maximilian Bühn, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
