Actor
Pankaj
Tripathi,
a
scene
stealer
in
any
film
or
series
he
does,
says
he
often
aims
to
keep
the
innocence
of
his
characters
alive.
In
Mimi,
the
story
of
the
titular
surrogate
mother
played
by
Kriti
Sanon,
sees
Tripathi
essay
the
character
of
Bhanu,
whose
funny
one-liners
in
the
film's
trailer
had
garnered
much
praise.
Directed
by
Laxman
Utekar,
the
film,
originally
slated
to
release
on
July
30,
arrived
on
Netflix
and
Jio
Cinema
on
Monday
night.
While
filmmaking
is
a
"team
sport",
the
National
School
of
Drama
graduate
said
as
the
face
of
the
actor
is
visible,
they
end
up
getting
the
most
credit
for
the
film.
"But
yes,
I
tend
to
do
some
improvisations
or
a
few
additions
here
and
there
that
sometimes
comes
out
nicely.
We
get
a
lot
of
freedom
to
add
our
own
flavour,
which
is
something
I
do
with
sincerity.
It
feels
good
when
your
instincts
are
trusted
as
an
artiste," Tripathi
told
PTI
in
an
interview.
His
character
of
Bhanu,
the
44-year-old
said,
is
primarily
a
driver
but
is
a
multi-tasker.
"He
is
the
jack
of
all
trades,
jugaadu
aadmi
hai
(he
is
a
makeshifter),"
he
added.
His
character
is
the
catalyst
which
connects
Mimi,
an
aspiring
actor
from
a
Rajasthan
small
town,
with
a
foreigner
couple
who
want
her
to
bear
their
child.
Citing
the
example
of
a
scene
from
the
film's
trailer
where
a
sceptical
Mimi
asks
the
doctor
(Jaya
Bhattacharya)
if
the
surrogacy
will
spoil
her
figure,
Bhanu
chirpily
says,
"No!",
eliciting
a
question
from
the
protagonist.
"Have
you
done
it
before?" Mimi
asks
Bhanu,
to
which
he
sheepishly
says
another
"No".
Tripathi
said
the
scene
turned
out
to
be
funnier
as
Sanon
also
took
part
in
the
improv
process.
"There
are
two
no's
but
both
have
different
meanings,"
he
added.
The
actor,
who
hails
from
Bihar,
said
such
tweaks
here
and
there
keep
things
interesting.
"That's
how
children
are.
Children
often
do
things
like
this
to
try
to
get
out
of
a
sticky
situation
when
they
are
caught.
I
try
to
protect
the
childlike
innocence
of
my
characters.
It
doesn't
let
things
become
dry
(neeras)."
A
fan
of
satire,
Tripathi
said
Mimi
is
a
situational
comedy
which
somewhere
also
makes
use
of
sarcasm
to
drive
home
the
larger
message.
"There
is
no
intention
to
hurt
anyone.
The
audience
is
in
on
the
joke
that
they
know
the
character
in
the
scene
is
under
guise
and
doing
drama.
There
are
certain
loopholes
that
we
leave
to
create
the
laughs
in
that
drama.
"The
aim
of
cinema
is
to
while
laughing
and
tickling
your
funny
bone,
it
does
a
bit
of
a
satire
too.
If
you
criticise
someone
deeply,
they
can
feel
hurt.
But
if
you
use
sarcasm,
they
will
smile
and
they
will
get
the
point
too,"
he
added.
"Utekar,
who
has
adapted
the
film
from
Samruoddhi
Porey's
2011
Marathi
feature
Mala
Aai
Vhhaychy!
with
writer
Rohan
Shankar,
has
sensitively
handled
the
film's
subject,"
Tripathi
said,
adding,
"They
have
created
a
beautiful
world
in
Mimi
which
will
make
you
laugh,
cry
and
will
quietly
whisper
the
message
of
the
film
in
your
ears
in
the
end.
It
is
a
family
film
which
will
appeal
to
people
of
all
ages.
You
will
laugh
and
cry
together.
Mimi' will
stay
with
you
for
a
while."
In
2020,
Tripathi
had
five
film
releases
including
Gunjan
Saxena:
The
Kargil
Girl
and
Ludo,
and
two
web
series
Mirzapur
(second
season)
and
Criminal
Justice:
Behind
Closed
Doors.
Asked
if
there
was
a
concern
of
overexposure,
the
actor
said
that
ship
has
sailed.
"I
have
done
and
still
do
films
for
friendship
and
favours.
I
am
an
emotional
man.
The
people
who
have
helped
me
in
my
struggling
days,
I
say
ok
to
them.
If
it's
a
cameo,
I
go
and
finish
my
part
in
those
five
days.
My
overexposure
has
already
happened.
"I
was
doing
so
much
work
that
if
you
searched
any
OTT
platform
last
year,
I
was
there.
There
is
overexposure
but
people
still
consider
me
underrated.
Overexposure
is
ok,
one
should
not
be
overrated," he
noted.
Tripathi
will
next
be
seen
in
Kabir
Khan's
highly
anticipated
sports
drama
83
and
a
Yash
Raj
Films
project.