The best roles played by Pankaj Tripathi include Kaleen Bhaiya in Mirzapur, lawyer Madhav Mishra in Criminal Justice, Sultan in Gangs of Wasseypur, the CRPF officer in Newton and the cheerful driver in Mimi, which won him the National Award. Here are his 10 best performances, with year, director and where to watch them in India.
Pankaj Tripathi: quick facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Breakthrough | Sultan in Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) |
| National Film Awards | Special Mention for Newton; Best Supporting Actor for Mimi |
| Best-known web role | Akhandanand Tripathi “Kaleen Bhaiya” in Mirzapur |
| Recent films | Stree 2 (2024), Main Atal Hoon (2024), Metro… In Dino (2025) |
Tripathi spent years in small roles before Gangs of Wasseypur changed his career. Today he is one of the few actors equally trusted by streaming platforms and big-screen producers. Here is the list.
10 best roles played by Pankaj Tripathi
1. Sultan Qureshi in Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)
Anurag Kashyap’s crime saga gave Tripathi his first major screen role. As the butcher Sultan, he is cold, quiet and scary, a far cry from the warm characters he would later play.
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2. Akhandanand Tripathi in Mirzapur (2018 to present)
Kaleen Bhaiya is the role that made him a household name. The calm, soft-spoken don of Mirzapur rules through fear, and Tripathi plays him with menace that never needs shouting. The third season arrived in 2024. Where to watch: Prime Video.
3. Madhav Mishra in Criminal Justice (2019 to present)
The small-time lawyer with a big heart is Tripathi at his most likeable. Madhav Mishra is clumsy outside court and sharp inside it, and the show has run across several seasons, with a fourth, A Family Matter, in 2025. Where to watch: JioHotstar.
4. Aatma Singh in Newton (2017)
In Amit V Masurkar’s satire about an election in a Maoist-affected area, Tripathi plays the CRPF officer who keeps clashing with Rajkummar Rao’s rule-following clerk. The performance earned him a National Film Award Special Mention.
5. Bhanu Pandey in Mimi (2021)
As the talkative driver who helps Kriti Sanon’s Mimi through a surrogacy gone wrong, Tripathi supplies most of the film’s laughs and its warmth. The role won him the National Film Award and Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. Where to watch: Netflix.
6. Narottam Mishra in Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017)
In Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s small-town romcom, he plays Kriti Sanon’s easygoing father, a sweet-shop owner who shares a smoke with his daughter. The scenes with Seema Pahwa, who plays his wife, are among the funniest in the film.
7. Rudra in Stree (2018) and Stree 2 (2024)
As the town’s self-declared expert on all things supernatural, Rudra is the comic glue of Amar Kaushik’s horror comedies. Stree 2 became one of the biggest Hindi hits of 2024. Where to watch Stree 2: Prime Video.
8. Satyendra “Sattu” Tripathi in Ludo (2020)
In Anurag Basu’s colourful anthology of four connected stories, Tripathi’s gangster Sattu Bhaiya is the thread that ties them together. He won the IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor for it. Where to watch: Netflix.
9. Kanti Sharan Mudgal in OMG 2 (2023)
Tripathi plays a father who takes his son’s school to court over the lack of sex education. It is a lead role, and he carries the courtroom drama with humour and conviction. Where to watch: Netflix.
10. Sadhya Ji in Masaan (2015)
Neeraj Ghaywan’s debut gives him only a few scenes as a kind railway clerk, but they are some of the most memorable in the film. It is proof that he can make a small part stay with you.
Other Pankaj Tripathi roles worth a look
- Sacred Games season 2 (2019): Khanna Guruji, the cult leader at the centre of the plot. On Netflix.
- Kaagaz (2021): Satish Kaushik’s satire about a man declared dead on paper. On ZEE5.
- Main Atal Hoon (2024): He plays former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
- The Tashkent Files (2019): Vivek Agnihotri’s drama about Lal Bahadur Shastri’s death. On ZEE5.
- Dharm (2007): An early role in Bhavna Talwar’s award-winning drama.
- Powder (2010): He played Naved, a drug dealer, in this TV crime series.
- Maazii, Coffee with D and Global Baba: Smaller films from his early years where his supporting work drew notice even when the films did not.
Why Pankaj Tripathi stands out
Tripathi rarely raises his voice on screen. His best characters are ordinary men who are funnier, sharper or more dangerous than they first appear. That range, from Kaleen Bhaiya to the father in Bareilly Ki Barfi, is why directors keep casting him in very different roles.
He has also moved comfortably between mainstream comedies, small independent films and long-running web series. Few actors of his generation have built such a strong fan base on streaming while still drawing audiences to theatres for films like Stree 2.
For more on Hindi cinema, see our Bollywood section, and for more streaming picks visit series.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pankaj Tripathi’s best role?
Kaleen Bhaiya in Mirzapur is his most famous role. Critics also rate his work in Newton, Mimi and Gangs of Wasseypur among his best.
Did Pankaj Tripathi win a National Award?
Yes. He won Best Supporting Actor for Mimi and received a Special Mention for Newton.
Which Pankaj Tripathi movies are on Netflix?
Ludo, Mimi and OMG 2 are on Netflix in India, along with the web series Sacred Games.
What was Pankaj Tripathi’s first big role?
Sultan in Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) was his first major role and his breakthrough.
Sources: Wikipedia: Pankaj Tripathi, Film Companion, JustWatch India.
