'I finally got to know my daughter well'

'I never knew she had such a great sense of humour.'

Pankaj Tripathi has taken these last two months in his stride and is, in fact, grateful for the break.

"Success came late to me," the actor tells Subhash K Jha.

"I began getting good work quite late in my career, so it was impossible for me to say no to the offers that came my way," he says. "I said yes to everything."

"Consequently, I was overloaded with work. I was just running from shooting to shooting. I hardly had time for myself and my family."

The lockdown, he says, has slowed him down in a good way.

"I am getting to spend time with my wife, daughter and dog for the first time in years. I finally got to know my daughter well. I never knew she had such a great sense of humour. She was homeschooling on her own. She didn't need our help. Now she has her vacation and all three of us are enjoying our home," says Pankaj.

"We bought our home in Madh island (an island off north west Mumbai) recently and I had still not got a chance to feel at home," adds Pankaj. "Now I am so house proud. We have lots of space and peace."

"The view from our home offers acres of greenery. I feel blessed. I wouldn't exchange this life for anything."

Pankaj has also caught up on his reading.

"I read a biography on Nargisji (the legendary actress Nargis Dutt) which I really enjoyed. There are so many books to read. One lifetime is not enough for them. So am I fed up of the lockdown?" Am I anxious to return to work? Not at all!"

"This is Mother Nature's way of telling us it is time to slow down. Our universe is rebooting and this pause was required. I am not complaining at all."

Only one thing distresses Pankaj.

"When I see those migrant workers walking for miles without food and shelter, I feel bad. This pandemic has hit a section of our people very hard. I hope it will soon be over."

"My films '83, Kargil Girl, Ludo and Sandeep Pinky Faraar were to open in April and May. Now I don't when they will release. I also have 10 days of shooting left for the second season of my Web series Criminal Justice."

"Mirzapur 2 is in editing. My character in Mirzapur was surprisingly popular. The memes and the tweets asking for his return haven't stopped," he adds.

Pankaj had plans to visit Gopalganj, his hometown in Bihar, to celebrate Ram Navami in April.

"I hope to make it next year," the actor promises himself.

• Bollywood is ga-ga over Pankaj Tripathi