Pankaj Jha, an actor celebrated for over two decades in the industry, is currently capturing hearts with his portrayal of Vidhayak in Panchayat 3. His memorable lines “Go kabutar, kabutar go” and “Gaali nahi toh ghazal suniyega” have gone viral, endearing him to audiences everywhere. While he is being praised for his sharp and witty performance in Panchayat 3, he has also come under scrutiny for some controversial remarks he reportedly made about fellow actor Pankaj Tripathi and filmmaker-actor Anurag Kashyap.
It was suggested that Jha labeled Kashyap a “liar and spineless” and criticized Tripathi for “glamorizing” his personal struggles. However, in a recent interview with indianexpress.com, Pankaj Jha clarified that these statements were misrepresented by the media, claiming he never mentioned Tripathi’s name and that his words were twisted for sensationalism.
He shared with the portal, “I never mentioned the name of any Tripathi in any of my interviews so far. You can go listen to all of my interviews, you will know I haven’t mentioned anybody’s name at all. This is very childish thing to do. Why will I go talk all this to anybody? Media always needs masala, I never said anything such, they just made it up. Becoming an actor is not the ultimate achievement. Just like how every actor wants to become a big star, similarly several journalists are also running behind fame. They make up stories to gain attention and recognition.”
The actor continued, “This news makes no sense. He (Pankaj Tripathi) is a very good friend of mine. We have worked together in films. He is my junior after all. He came much later, I have been in films for a very long time. Similarly, Anurag Kashyap is my friend. He is like a brother to me. We have worked together in films Gulal and Back Friday. Why will I go around talking ill about them? All these news of me calling him spineless are all things twisted and made up. I don’t have a control on who will write what, they keep making up stories for their own benefit. Journalists are trusted with a lot of responsibilities, they are expected to inform us with good news, news that can educate, inform, not twist statements for masala.”
He added, “According to me, a journalist is who translates the news just as it is, without tweaking it for personal benefits. In the old days, my grandfather used to look for a trusted person to carry his message to a person in another village. It is a very responsible job, this person was trusted with a crucial information and was respected for carrying the exact message and not making things up in between. And that’s how it should be. Let them makeup stories and headlines, I am unbothered”.
In an interview with Digital Commentary, Pankaj Jha discussed losing the role of Sultan in ‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’ to Pankaj Tripathi. When asked about possible internal politics, Jha responded that he remains unaffected by such politics, viewing those who engage in it as cowards. Addressing his relationship with Anurag Kashyap and missing the role despite their past collaborations in ‘Gulal’ and ‘Black Friday,’ Jha criticized the industry’s spineless individuals who fail to voice their opinions. He recounted being called for the role by Mukesh Chhabra while on a shoot in Patna, only to find it had been given to someone else by the time he returned. Despite expectations due to friendships, he admitted he had limited awareness of the industry’s workings at the time. Jha clarified that subsequent untrue publications stemmed from a conversation with a journalist, affirming he still holds no complaints and loves Anurag Kashyap.
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