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Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Pankaj Tripathi recalls being scolded by director for adding humour to his roles, wants innocence in real life: ‘We should practise being innocent for 5 minutes every day'
Pankaj Tripathi is the modern-day phenomenon of what Ryan Reynolds once described as 'subscription to a personality.' Among a sea of actors transforming themselves with each and every role, there remains a common thread in Tripathi's performances: a dose of common-man humour. As he reprises his popular role of lawyer Madhav Mishra in Criminal Justice: A Family Matter, the fourth instalment in the crime thriller series, Tripathi chats with SCREEN about the impact of the Indian adaptation, and why he believes in injecting humour and innocence into all his characters. Criminal Justice is closely competing with Mirzapur to be your longest-running show yet. Do you remember when you were first approached for the show? Sridhar Raghavan, who wrote season 1, had come and narrated me the first few episodes. I said, 'Ye toh kamaal hai!' Then he revealed it's an official adaptation of a British show. Then I said, 'Phir rehne do.' So he reasoned that it's not a copy, but an adaptation within the Indian judicial system. So then I didn't watch the original show because once I do, I feel that experience is already complete. Isn't it rare that the Indian adaptation has outlasted the original from the West? Just the day before, I was watching the season 4 trailer in a cab in London. Then I started playing a motivational video on YouTube right after. The driver thought it's part of the trailer and said, 'Nice quote.' He thought I was speaking that dialogue in the show. He was from South Africa. He asked me what I do for a living, I said I'm an actor. So then he said, 'I'm also a photographer, at BBC.' I told him the show's trailer I was watching is Criminal Justice, and it's by BBC India. I told him how there are only two seasons in the UK, whereas we're coming up with the fourth one in India! Speaking of your dialogues, there's one in the trailer in which you say, 'Ye naha-dho ke, shampoo kar ke aapke peechhe padi hain.' How do you inject humour in the gravest of situations? I do that with almost every character. In India, we primarily watch films and shows for entertainment. There's already so much stress and burden in everyone's life anyway. If you make them smile before making an important point, then they'll listen to you. Humour is crucial to engagement. And the humour should not be forced, it should be either slice-of-life or satirical. Humour can exist in the gravest of situations, without going overboard. Where did this approach come from in your acting arsenal? I used to do that in theatre. But I was an amateur actor then, so the director scolded me a couple of times, asking why I'm doing buffoonery in the background. Then I realised you can't throw comedy into any and every grave scene. When I moved to Mumbai, I started getting negative roles mostly. So the humour took a backseat. Then, it gradually came back to the fore. The humour also lends itself quite organically to Madhav Mishra, right? Madhav Mishra has been an underdog since season 1. He has eczema, and is fighting for survival. When you come from that section of society, then there's a humour intact. He needs to survive, but also have fun at that. For instance, there's a scene in which he's supposed to rush into the court for a bail hearing. I asked director Rohan Sippy to make a junior artist stand next to me. As I enter, I hold his hand and take him along. He asks, 'Kya chahiye?' I say, 'Confidence.' When the judge asks him something, he just laughs. He has nothing else to say. The audience also roots for Madhav Mishra because of his innocence. Along with humour, that's also a motif in all your characters. Why is that important? I want that innocence in my life as well, and not just in characters. We've all become so corrupt, there's so much burden. I feel we need to practise being innocent. Like how we meditate for five minutes, we should do an exercise of being innocent for five minutes. Kids have so much joy in their lives! As we grow up, the innoncence goes away, and saza mazza ban jati hai. Even if there are mistakes or humour in innocence, that gives a different kind of happiness. Also Read — Pankaj Tripathi doesn't think he is the 'right person' to replace Paresh Rawal in Hera Pheri 3: 'I am nothing in front of him' Ryan Reynolds called this common thread across performances 'a subscription to personality.' Do you feel that's what your appeal is as an actor? But it also has a trap. After a few days, you get stuck in that trademark. You just keep delivering what the audience expects. Then I realized later that I have to protect myself as well. Because when I wish to experiment, and the audience doesn't find the trademark style in that, they'd be disappointed. So acting is a very fragile job. Choohe ko nahi pata hota ki wo trap mein fasne ja raha hai. Life is like that: you feel like you're going in to achieve something only to realize you're inside a trap. Criminal Justice: A Family Matter premieres on Jio Hotstar on May 29.
India Gazette
11-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Western reporting on India-Pakistan escalation 'one-sided'
The press is obscuring terrorism as the root cause of the latest flare-up between New Delhi and Islamabad, Kanwal Sibal has told RT The Western media has been presenting a "distorted" and "one-sided" picture of the latest military standoff between India and Pakistan, former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal has told RT. On Saturday, the two nuclear powers agreed to a truce following the recent escalation in the wake of a deadly terrorist attack in India's Jammu and Kashmir federal territory in late April. US President Donald Trump stated that Washington had helped mediate the cessation of hostilities. Commenting on the developments, Sibal said that New Delhi never had any intention of escalating its limited military operation. He also criticized the US for seeking to "take diplomatic credit" for the truce. The retired diplomat further lamented the manner in which the escalation was reported by the Western press, which he says gave scant significance to "what caused this in the first place." "The attention is being shifted to the larger issues" existing between New Delhi and Islamabad, as opposed to the deadly terrorist attack last month, he argued. Sibal suggested that the "Western press... totally contort and distort their reporting," presenting a "very one-sided picture." "And somehow they have a very great weakness for Pakistan despite the fact that Pakistan's links with terror are so well known," Sibal claimed. He noted that Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had been hiding in the country for years before being killed by US special forces in 2011. In late April, anonymous sources told RT that the Indian government had sent an objection to BBC India head Jackie Martin over the British broadcaster's use of the word "militants" to refer to the perpetrators of the terrorist attack that led to the escalation of the conflict. Similar concerns were reportedly raised with other international news outlets, including the Associated Press and Reuters. READ MORE: BBC under fire in India for Kashmir terror attack coverage Speaking to RT around the same time, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif claimed that the West is to blame for his country's terrorism problem, which he explained stems from the "introduction of jihad" on behalf of the West during the Soviet-Afghanistan war in the 1980s. New Delhi has accused its neighbor of aiding and abetting Islamist militants from the Resistance Front, which claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack last month, alleging that at least two of the perpetrators are Pakistani nationals. Islamabad, for its part, has strongly denied any involvement.
Telegraph
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
BBC under fire for calling Kashmir terrorists ‘militants'
The Indian government has complained to the BBC for calling the attackers in last week's Kashmir massacre 'militants' rather than 'terrorists'. In a letter to Jackie Martin, head of BBC India, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said it objected to the corporation's reporting of the April 22 attack in Pahalgam which left 26 people dead. 'A formal letter has been sent to the BBC on the terming of terrorists as militants. The external publicity division of the MEA will be monitoring the reporting of the BBC,' an official told The Telegraph. The BBC has previously come under fire from the Hindu nationalist government of Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, particularly over its coverage of human rights and minority issues. In January 2023, the corporation broadcast a documentary featuring criticism of Mr Modi's actions as chief minister of state during the 2002 Gujarat riots, during which around 800 Muslims were killed. In response, the government invoked emergency laws to prevent the programme from being shown in India. Authorities ordered Twitter and YouTube to take down links and posts about the film – called India: The Modi Question – and branded it a 'propaganda piece' made with a 'colonial mindset'. A month later, tax officials raided the corporation's New Delhi offices, which led to the BBC restructuring its Indian operations.
Hans India
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
India Issues Notice to BBC Over Pahalgam Coverage After Banning 16 Pakistani YouTube Channels
After banning 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for spreading misinformation about the Pahalgam attack, India also issued a notice to BBC India. The government criticized the BBC for repeatedly using the term 'militants' instead of 'terrorists' in its reports, expressing concern that such language could mislead global audiences and downplay the severity of the attack. Officials argue that such terminology could mislead global audiences and downplay the gravity of the attack. One BBC headline under scrutiny reads: 'Pakistan suspends visas for Indians after deadly Kashmir attack on tourists.' Authorities say this framing could wrongly suggest Indian involvement, rather than placing blame squarely on the terrorists responsible. The BBC isn't the only outlet facing criticism. International platforms like The New York Times, AP News, and Al Jazeera have also been called out by Indian media for using vague or softened terms while covering the Pahalgam attack. This controversy has reignited an important debate: Why are global media outlets hesitant to call terrorists what they are? Where is the journalistic accountability when reporting on acts of terror? As the world witnesses a surge in terror-related incidents, the call for truthful reporting, ethical journalism, and clear narratives has become louder than ever. The 16 banned channels include Shoaib Akhtar's channel and popular Pakistani news outlets like Dawn News, Samaa TV, ARY News, Geo News, and others.
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First Post
28-04-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Centre pulls up BBC for its Pahalgam terror attack reporting. Here's why
The Centre has shot off a letter to BBC India head over its reportage of the deadly Pahalgam terror attack. Taking objection to referring to 'terrorists' as 'militants', the government has said it will be 'monitoring' the UK broadcaster's coverage read more Indian security force personnel patrol at the site of a terrorist attack on tourists in Baisaran near Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, April 24, 2025. Reuters The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is facing heat in India over its reportage of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir. Several terrorists, including at least two Pakistani nationals, had opened fire at tourists in the Baisaran meadow near the tourist spot of Pahalgam on April 22. The massacre of innocent civilians has triggered fresh tensions between India and Pakistan, which have taken tit-for-tat measures against each other. The Pahalgam terror attack and its aftermath have caught global attention. However, the Western media's coverage of the terror attack has been criticised in India for downplaying the severity of the tragedy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Now, BBC has come under fire. Here's why. BBC faces flak for Pahalgam terror attack coverage The Centre has taken strong objection to BBC's reportage of the Pahalgam terror attack. The government has shot off a formal letter to BBC's India Head, Jackie Martin, conveying India's strong sentiments on the UK broadcaster's Pahalgam terror attack coverage. 'A formal letter has been sent to the BBC on terming terrorists as militants. The External Publicity Division of the MEA will be monitoring the reporting of the BBC,' an official was quoted as saying by PTI. The government's action comes after BBC published a report last week titled 'Pakistan suspends visas for Indians after deadly Kashmir attack on tourists' that drew backlash online. Flagging the report on social media, a user said the headline sounded misleading, portraying India as the attacker. Wow. BBC makes it sound like India killed Pakistani tourists in Pahalgam! How much lower can they fall?? @sanjeevsanyal @ARanganathan72 @authoramish — Sandipan Deb (@sandipanthedeb) April 26, 2025 The BBC report also referred to the terror attack in Pahalgam as a 'militant attack". 'Pakistan has responded with tit-for-tat measures against India as tensions soared following a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists,' it said in the story. In a previous report, the British broadcaster referred to the attackers as 'gunmen'. The headline read: 'More than 20 killed after gunmen open fire on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Western media's problematic coverage Western media have been accused of whitewashing the Pahalgam terror attack through their coverage. Last week, a House Committee in the US lambasted the New York Times (NYT) for its reportage on the massacre in Kashmir. The US House Foreign Affairs Committee pulled up the American newspaper for calling the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack 'militants' instead of terrorists. Striking the word 'militants' and replacing it with 'terrorists' in bold red colour, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US government wrote on X, 'Hey, @nytimes we fixed it for you. This was a TERRORIST ATTACK plain and simple. Whether it's India or Israel, when it comes to TERRORISM the NYT is removed from reality.' Several other Western media outlets, like The Guardian and The Washington Post, also referred to terrorists as 'gunmen' and 'militants' in their reports. An Indian security force personnel stands guard at the site of a terrorist BBC's run-ins in India BBC has faced rebuke in India over its coverage before. In 2023, the UK broadcaster's documentary, India: The Modi Question, was banned by the Central government. It slammed the documentary for allegedly casting 'aspersions on the authority and credibility of the Supreme Court of India, sowing divisions among various communities, and making unsubstantiated allegations regarding actions of foreign governments in India'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD BBC claimed it investigated aspects of the 2002 Gujarat riots when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of the state. Denouncing the two-part documentary, the then Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, 'The bias, the lack of objectivity, and frankly a continuing colonial mindset, is blatantly visible. If anything, this film or documentary is a reflection on the agency and individuals that are peddling this narrative again.' 'It makes us wonder about the purpose of this exercise and the agenda behind it and frankly we do not wish to dignify such efforts,' he added. BBC had defended its documentary, claiming it was 'rigorously researched according to highest editorial standards'. The same year, the British media outlet's offices in Mumbai and Delhi were raided over alleged income tax irregularities. In 1970, the Congress-led government expelled BBC from India for airing two documentaries – Calcutta, directed and produced by French director Louis Malle, and The Bewildered Giant, written by Dom Moraes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The government had justified the clampdown, saying there has been 'dissatisfaction and adverse comment in the country, in the press and in the Parliament' about the BBC which, allegedly, 'portrays India, its life and culture in a tendentious and distorted manner'. With inputs from agencies
