Pankaj Jha has been one of the most underrated gems in Bollywood. His recent performance in Panchayat season 3 as 'MLA Chandrakishore Singh' has drawn a lot of praise. Before this fantastic performance, he played vital roles in films like Black Friday and Gulaal. The versatile actor has worked extensively in mediums like films, television, and web shows. He sat down for an interview with The Indian Express, where he criticised the Hindi film industry for not recognising the talent of the late actor, Irrfan Khan.
Late actor, Irrfan Khan is regarded as one of the most talented actors in Bollywood. He has had impressive performances in films like The Namesake, Slumdog Millionaire, New York, The Amazing Spider-Man, Life of Pi, and Jurassic World, among others. Pankaj Jha believes that Irrfan Khan is the only real actor in the industry, and he has set a benchmark that others are trying to reach. However, the Gulaal actor feels that Bollywood has been late in recognising the talent of Irrfan Khan. He was quoted as saying:
"What happens is they start to mimic it. Today, I feel every actor is mimicking someone. There was only one actor in the industry who was real, that was Irrfan Khan. He has set a benchmark for actors, and everybody is trying to reach that benchmark, but it is not easy to reach. We should question the industry why it takes them so much time to recognise true talents like Irrfan Khan."
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Pankaj Jha has always been candid about his opinions on Bollywood and new trends in the industry. In another interview with Lallantop Cinema, Pankaj Jha stated that he feels the mention of 'struggle' has been glamorised in Bollywood. He said he doesn't like the word because if someone has chosen to follow their passion, they should enjoy it. Pankaj added that some people say they did odd jobs, lived in tiny houses, and did other difficult tasks. But, the Black Friday actor feels every situation is a learning experience at the end.
Famous actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Pankaj Tripathi have been a part of Bollywood for a long time. However, only a couple of years ago the actors rose to prominence. Pankaj Jha was asked what he thinks could be a possible reason behind their late recognition. In his reply, Pankaj Jha said that popularity and acting have little to no relation.
"It is a tough job to say who is an actor and who isn't. Here, the one who isn't an actor is the most popular. Someone asked me my thoughts on the larger-than-life movies mounted on huge budgets and mint crores of rupees. I said it only reflects the IQ of our country, its level."
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Further, Pankaj went on to say that the Indian audiences seemingly have lower IQs, which is evident in Hindi Cinema's history and changing trends. He added that the actors who can't properly speak a single dialogue have become stars. Also, he revealed that here is a kind of division in Bollywood where an actor is categorised as Hit or flip. However, Pankaj is unable to understand the division and its need.
Let us know what you think about Pankaj Jha's statement about Bollywood being late in recognising Irrfan Khan's talent?
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