Pankaj Tripathi

Pankaj Tripathi Biography

Pankaj Tripathi, born Pankaj Tiwari on 5 September 1976 in Belsand village of Barauli in the Gopalganj district of Bihar, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Hindi films and streaming series. He was the youngest of four children born to Pandit Benares Tiwari, a farmer and Hindu priest, and Hemwanti Tiwari, and legally changed his surname from Tiwari to Tripathi while in the ninth standard. He farmed with his father until the eleventh standard and performed female roles in his village’s local plays.

Tripathi moved to Patna after school to study at the Institute of Hotel Management, Hajipur, then to Delhi, graduating from the National School of Drama in 2004. After a small role in the Kannada drama Chigurida Kanasu (2003) and an uncredited part in Run (2004), he spent nearly a decade in minor, often antagonistic roles in films such as Bunty Aur Babli and Apaharan (both 2005), Omkara (2006), Raavan and Aakrosh (both 2010) and Agneepath (2012), and in the television series Powder (2010). His breakthrough came as Sultan Qureshi in Anurag Kashyap’s crime duology Gangs of Wasseypur (2012).

His first leading role was the neo-noir thriller Gurgaon (2017), and acclaim followed for Fukrey (2013), Masaan (2015), Nil Battey Sannata (2016), Bareilly Ki Barfi and Newton (both 2017), Stree (2018), Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl and Ludo (both 2020) and 83 (2021). On streaming he is best known as Akhandanand “Kaleen Bhaiya” Tripathi in Mirzapur (2018–present) and as the lawyer Madhav Mishra in Criminal Justice (2019–2022). He has two National Film Awards — a Special Mention for Newton and Best Supporting Actor for Mimi — and a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Mimi.

Basic Details

• Full Name: Pankaj Tripathi
• Birth Name: Pankaj Tiwari
• Date of Birth: 5 September 1976
• Age: 49 (as of July 2026)
• Birthplace: Belsand village, Barauli, Gopalganj district, Bihar, India
• Nationality: Indian
• Occupation: Actor
• Years Active: 2003 – present
• Education: Institute of Hotel Management, Hajipur; National School of Drama, New Delhi (graduated 2004)
• Parents: Pandit Benares Tiwari (farmer and priest) and Hemwanti Tiwari
• Siblings: Youngest of four children
• Spouse: Mridula Tripathi (married 15 January 2004)
• Children: Daughter, Aashi Tripathi (born 2006)

Career Highlights

Major Awards

• National Film Award – Special Mention for Newton (2017)
• National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for Mimi
• Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Mimi
• IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor for Ludo
• Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor for Stree
• Brand ambassador of the Bharat Rang Mahotsav (National Theatre Festival), 2024