Rajkummar Rao heaps praise for Stree 2 co-star Pankaj Tripathi: 'He is Rudra bhaiya in real life'

In Pic: Pankaj Tripathi

Pankaj Tripathi, who wowed us with his role as Kaleen Bhaiya in Mirzapur 3, is now ruling hearts with his portrayal of Rudra Bhaiya in Stree 2. Despite having a relatively smaller role in the film, Tripathi is making everyone laugh with his impactful performance. Rajkummar Rao, who has worked with Tripathi in Stree and its sequel, has praised him by calling him "Rudra Bhaiya in real life."

Rajkummar Rao calls Pankaj Tripathi 'real life Rudra Bhaiya'

In an interview with Lallantop, when Rajkummar was asked about his co-star Pankaj Tripathi, he stated, "Pankaj Ji is Rudra Bhaiya in real life as well. He is so well-read and intellectual that I feel he is the perfect person to play Rudra Bhaiya. He has a wealth of experience and wisdom in both art and life in general. Though he is a man of few words, on set he often talks about his old days and shares experiences from his time at NSD."

Pankaj Tripathi's journey to fame

Born on September 5, 1976, Pankaj Tripathi, one of the most sought-after actors currently in Bollywood, hails from Bihar's Belsand village. A farmer's son, he grew up in a tiny village and was part of a handful of amateur plays, where he portrayed a girl on stage. For higher studies, Tripathi moved to Patna, where his life eventually took a turn.

Upon finishing his course at NSD in 2004, with a lot of dreams in his eyes, he moved to Mumbai on October 16 with Rs 46,000 in his pocket. However, by December 25, Tripathi was left with only Rs 10. "I remember the date because it was my wife's birthday and I didn't even have the money to buy a cake or a gift. When people like me come to this city, after theatre training and life experiences, they always remember important dates," he shared in one of his interviews.

For close to a decade, Pankaj Tripathi kept running from one audition to another, but Gangs Of Wasseypur finally helped him establish himself as a performer.

About Pankaj Tripathi's Stree 2

The actor played the role of Rudra Bhaiya in Amar Kaushik's horror-comedy Stree 2. The movie stars Aparshakti Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao, Abhishek Banerjee, and Shraddha Kapoor in lead roles.

The storyline of Stree 2 picks up in the haunted town of Chanderi, where the malevolent spirit known as Sarkata wreaks havoc. Unlike the previous film, which featured a ghost targeting men, this installment focuses on a sinister entity that preys on modern, empowered women.