Pankaj Tripathi to receive Diversity in Cinema Award at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne

Actor Pankaj Tripathi will be presented with the Diversity in Cinema Award by the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) this year. 

A statement from the festival organizers said, “This award is for artists who have left an indelible mark in the industry through their different roles, across all formats portraying incredible versatility with their varied performances. Some of the previous recipients of this award are Frieda Pinto, Fawad Khan and Onir amongst others.” 

For this year’s edition of IIFM, Tripathi has been nominated for the Best Performance Award for two of his projects Ludo (2020) and the web-series Mirzapur (Season 2). His short film Laali has also made it to the festival this year. 

Sharing his happiness at winning the award, Tripathi said in a statement, “My intent is to perform to the best of my capabilities, and I am so grateful that my performances are appreciated by the audience. I am truly honoured and equally humbled to receive this award and it makes me very happy that such a prestigious film festival has recognised my work.” 

Tripathi was last seen in the recent movie Mimi (2021), where his performance was appreciated. 

The festival director, Mitu Bhowmick Lange, said, “We at IFFM are elated to present one of our highest awards to the prolific actor, Pankaj Tripathi. With his acting prowess and unsurpassed talent, he makes every character riveting. IFFM has always stood for diversity through cinema and Pankaj Tripathi is an embodiment of the same. He plays diverse roles with such finesse making him perfect for this award.” 

The award will be presented to Tripathi by Anurag Kashyap, who directed the actor in the iconic Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012).