Pankaj Tripathi, the Bollywood actor hailing from Bihar’s Belsand village in Gopalganj district, reminisced about his modest upbringing in a recent interview with India TV. Born into a family of farmers and priests, Pankaj shared anecdotes from his village days, including performing bicycle stunts to impress girls and his unconventional attempt to learn swimming by consuming insects from the river. He also recounted the unique incident when he decided to change not only his own surname but also that of his father, transitioning from Tiwari to Tripathi.
Reflecting on his bicycle stunts, Pankaj mentioned, “During my 7th or 8th standard in school, I used to perform bicycle stunts inspired by a boy who gained popularity among girls for similar feats. Despite participating in a slow cycle race to become popular, I ended up losing.”
Describing his adventurous pursuit of swimming skills, he shared, “To learn swimming, I was told by mischievous village kids that consuming the small black insects from the river water would help. I drank about 10-12 of these insects along with the water, and fortunately, my stomach didn’t suffer any ill effects.”
Discussing the decision to change his and his father’s surname, Pankaj humorously remarked, “I might be the first person in history to give his father a name. While filling out the 10th standard admit card, influenced by my uncle’s success with the surname Tripathi, I decided to adopt it. Concerned about rejection, I also changed my father’s name from Tiwari to Tripathi in the form, realizing that I didn’t want to follow the traditional paths of farming or priesthood associated with the Tiwari surname.”
