Actor Pankaj Tripathi’s powerpacked acting and simplicity in personality reflects in his deeds too. The Metro…In Dino (2025) actor has silently adopted measures with a resolve to minimise his carbon footprint and is now inspiring people around him to care for Mother Nature.
Ahead of World Environment Day (on Friday, June 5), the actor shares how after shooting for Sherdil: The Pilibhit Saga (2022). “While shooting in jungles, I understood the man-animal conflict. But had a realisation as well and started working towards it. I come from a village and after understanding the environmental issues I started working towards minimizing as many carbon footprints as possible,” he says.
Individual effort
He adopted measures while shooting. “During my entire shoot schedule, I cook my own food in vanity – daal, chawal aur sabji dal kar khichidi – and treat my fellow actors too during Mirzapur film shoot. I use steel tiffin and bottle, store water in an earthen pot, and avoid maximum plastic as possible. I avoid branded clothes – except when playing a character – and prefer wearing khadi, handloom and handicraft clothes,” he adds.
Tripathi agrees that alone he can’t bring a change but “my team and people around take inspiration. If we all start individually, change will surely happen and I have very high hopes with our younger generation.”
On a serious note, he says, “Living in cities and metros we are getting disconnected with Nature but to recalibrate and rejuvenate we go back to it. The fact is that we are a part of Nature, but we have started believing that we are maalik of Nature – jo ki sach nahi hai aur prakriti humko jhatka dekar sachet karti rehti hai ki sudhar jao! We must realise, we are more dependent on Nature and oxygen than anything else…”
Village connect!
The actor recalls, “My initial 20 years of life were spent in my village (district Gopalganj, Bihar) where we had no electricity. We must be having 500 trees around us in our farms. Nature humare jeevan ka ek hissa tha as we had no gadgets around! My wife is so much associated with plants and flowers as if she can talk to them! Such has been our rishta.”
The actor keeps planting trees at this village, and his fans too does plantation on his birthday.
Co-existence
Tripathi stresses co-existence. “I understand development and preserving Nature are contradictory things. But if trees are cut, they must compulsorily plant double the quantity of trees. I have noticed in Mumbai people have stopped/minimised honking which is great. We all know what’s good…bas thoda sa aware hokar uspar kaam karna shuru karein individually!”
The right approach
He recalls an incident when he saw trees brutally cut to make way for the highway. “The thought came in mind that they should have planted double the trees they had cut and while moving ahead noticed mega plantation happening on both side of the highway. That’s the kind of approach we need. I praised this to the Union Minister Nitin Gadkari as well,” he says on a singing off note.