“I have narrated Atal ji’s poems but with twist”: Pankaj Tripathi

New Delhi [India], January 9 (ANI): Actor Pankaj Tripathi is all set to come up with his upcoming film ‘Main Atal Hoon’, which revolves around the life of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Sharing how he prepared himself for the role, Pankaj in an interview with ANI said, “I was scared, how will I do it, I don’t know what will happen, how will it happen, I took seven-eight days to think. I also took my friends’ suggestions…they thought that I was the correct person. Bhanushali (producer Vinod Bhanushali) then said, ‘If you don’t do it then I will not make this film’. However, I was afraid of how much justice would I be able to do to the character of respected Atal ji. I didn’t know how much I mimicked as I didn’t know imitation and mimicry, that was the challenge. He is a huge personality and it is not possible to bring the story of that personality in a two-hour story on cinema.”

The former Prime Minister harboured a deep love for literature and had authored several poems.

Recalling how he narrated those poems in the film, Pankaj added, “I have narrated Atal ji’s poems in the film but it is not exactly in the same way he did…The essence has been maintained, there are pauses at some places, but a slight twist has been done. In the film, at some places, the poem is also recited in the voice of Atal ji.”

He added, “This is the story of a child from Bateshwar who later becomes a poet and politician named Atal Bihari Vajpayee and becomes the Prime Minister. In the research of this movie, I have found that a man should be people’s leader from within. It is not possible for someone to like everyone’s ideology and everyone thinks that my ideology is right. There should be agreement even in disagreements, people can criticise me also and I will accept it.”

‘Main Atal Hoon’ is helmed by director Ravi Jadhav. The film is written by Rishi Virmani and Ravi Jadhav.

Earlier, during the trailer launch, he opened up about his interest in politics and how he prepared for Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s biopic.

He also recalled a funny anecdote from his college days when he joined Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) during his college days.

“I was in a youth wing. I have participated in mandolins. I was even jailed for a week! Toh main uss raaste pe nikal chuka tha. Then I realised that the path of politics is full of thorns. Hence, I took a turn and started developing an interest in street theatre. There was Kaildas Rangalaya, Patna, where I enrolled myself. Mujhe laga ki yeh behtar hai. Yahaan kam se kam bol ke acting hoti hai ki ‘main acting kar raha hoon’,” Pankaj quipped.

The film is all set to hit theatres on January 19, 2024. It is backed by Bhanushali Studios Limited and Legend Studios, Vinod Bhanushali, Sandeep Singh, Sam Khan and Kamlesh Bhanushali.