Actor Pankaj Tripathi’s Ohh My Dog may have faced a delay in release, but the actor’s belief in the film remains unwavering. With only a handful of scenes in director Amit Rai’s film, Tripathi initially wanted his appearance to remain a surprise for audiences. However, his association with the project goes beyond his screen time. In an exclusive interview with India Today Digital, Tripathi revealed that he agreed to support the film’s promotion at his friend’s request, driven by his faith in the story, his bond with Rai and his desire to stand by the filmmaker.
Tripathi and Rai have worked together on the satirical comedy-drama OMG 2 (2023).
The 49-year-old National Award-winning actor reflected on his character in the upcoming film and said, “My character is a very small one, with just five or six scenes. It is my friend Amit Rai’s film, and I had told him to keep my appearance a surprise. I am there in the film, but he asked for my help with the marketing. Otherwise, I had approached this as a small role where I thought people would go to the theatre and see me. But my friend said he needed my help with the promotions, so I agreed, and he put me on the poster. I have done this out of friendship because I like the story and I like the director.”
Owing to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey release, Ohh My Dog was postponed. The film is now slated to hit the screens on August 7.
Tripathi, who is set to receive the Artist of Distinction Award from the State Government of Victoria for his outstanding contribution to cinema, also spoke about Mirzapur: The Movie. With the film’s trailer set to release on August 11, the actor pointed out that while audiences have experienced the world of Mirzapur on OTT, the film will bring the same universe to a much larger theatrical canvas, promising more fun and mayhem on the big screen.
He also stressed that the film is not simply a continuation of what audiences have already seen, but a new story that has not been explored in the series.
“You must have watched that story on screens ranging from five inches to 200 inches, but this time, that story will be shown on a 25-foot screen. There will be a difference in scale. On OTT, you may watch it on a 120-inch TV, but this time you will watch it on a 25-foot screen. The fun element of that world will be in abundance,” the actor who plays Kaleen Bhaiya in the franchise added.
Concluding with a laugh, he said, “Don’t have any expectations of my character; expectations are from a wife or a girlfriend. What expectations can you have from a character? That character has entertained you in the past, so this time too, it will entertain you and give you the same enjoyment. Why should we tell you to have this expectation or that?”
The film also stars Ali Fazal, Divyenndu Sharma, Jitendra Kumar, Ravi Kishan, Abhishek Banerjee, Rasika Dugal, Mohitt Maalik, Sheeba Chadha, Rajesh Tailang, Pramod Pathak, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Harshita Shekhar Gaur, Shweta Tripathi, Sonal S. Chauhan, Anangsha Biswas, Shaji Chaudhary, Satendra Soni, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Sushant Singh in pivotal roles.
Directed by Gurmmeet Singh, the film is written by Puneet Krishna and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar under the banner of Excel Entertainment.
Mirzapur: The Movie is slated for a worldwide theatrical release on September 4 in Hindi and Telugu.
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