An Afternoon With Pankaj Tripathi: Why You Should Be at Jagran Film Festival Mumbai on 29 October

Some actors you watch. Pankaj Tripathi, you listen to.

There's a particular kind of hush that falls over a room when he starts talking. He's never in a hurry. He'll take a question about craft and somehow land on a story about his village, his mother's cooking, or the years he spent waiting for a break that took its own sweet time arriving. And by the end you realise he's taught you something about acting, and something about patience too.

So when the Jagran Film Festival announced that Pankaj Tripathi would be joining them in Mumbai for an exclusive in-conversation session, my diary got rearranged very quickly. The festival's own words sum it up: "An afternoon of stories, insights, and conversations with the one and only Pankaj Tripathi."

The details

• What: In conversation with Pankaj Tripathi

• When: Thursday, 29 October 2026, 1:30pm

• Where: Cinepolis, Fun Republic Mall, Andheri West, Mumbai

• Part of: Jagran Film Festival (JFF) Mumbai 2026, running 28 to 31 October

• Registration and schedule: jff.co.in

Arrive early. Sessions with names this big fill up quickly, and you'll want a seat where you can actually see his face. With Pankaj ji, half the performance is in the eyebrows.

Why this session is worth your afternoon

Think about the arc. A boy from Belsand in Gopalganj, Bihar. Training at the National School of Drama. Years of small parts, blink-and-you-miss-it roles, the long grind that so many actors in Mumbai know far too well.

Then Gangs of Wasseypur, and Sultan. Then a run of characters that became part of how we talk: Kaleen Bhaiya in Mirzapur, the impossibly lovable father in Stree, the lawyer in Criminal Justice, and a National Film Award for Mimi. Very few actors move from menace to tenderness to comedy with that kind of ease, and fewer still stay so grounded while doing it.

That's what makes an in-conversation with him special. He doesn't do PR answers. He talks about the work, the waiting, the failures, the small moments of grace. If you're an actor, a writer, a filmmaker or just someone trying to make it in this city, an hour in that room is worth more than a dozen motivational reels.

And there's a lot more at JFF Mumbai

Pankaj Tripathi's session sits inside a packed four days. The festival received more than 500 entries this year and is screening 130 films from over 25 countries, in more than 35 languages, at Fun Republic.

A few other highlights on the programme:

• 28 October: in-conversation sessions with Aanand L. Rai and Ansh Duggal, Adah Sharma, Imtiaz Ali and Mohit Choudhary, and Paresh Rawal with Aditya Rawal, Sharib Hashmi, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Anant Narayan Mahadevan. We've already written about why the Imtiaz Ali session is a must.

• 29 October: a workshop with Amole Gupte and a casting session with Mukesh Chhabra, on the same day as Pankaj Tripathi.

• 30 October: an acting workshop with Saurabh Sachdeva.

• 31 October: an AI filmmaking workshop and a casting session with Anmol Ahuja.

• Opening films: Past Tense by Anant Narayan Mahadevan and the Canadian-Belgian Steal Away by Clement Virgo.

• Closing film: the Marathi film Gondhal, India's official Oscar entry. We met the Gondhal team earlier this month.

The festival wraps up with its awards night on 1 November at the JW Marriott in Juhu.

A personal note

I've been to a lot of film events in this city. The ones I remember are never the red carpets. They're the afternoons where someone who has genuinely lived the journey sits down and tells you the truth about it.

29 October at 1:30pm has all the makings of one of those afternoons. Pankaj Tripathi also has Parivarik ManuRanjan with Aditi Rao Hydari on the way, so don't be surprised if a story or two from that set makes an appearance.

Plan your visit

• Fun Republic Mall is on New Link Road in Andheri West. If you're coming by Metro, Andheri is your friend. If you're driving, give yourself extra time for the mall parking queue.

• Check the full screening schedule on jff.co.in so you can catch a film before or after the session.

• Bring questions. If there's an audience Q&A, this is your chance to ask the man himself.

See you there. I'll be the one in the third row, notebook open, trying not to laugh too loudly at the stories.

Frequently asked questions

When is Pankaj Tripathi's session at Jagran Film Festival Mumbai?

Thursday, 29 October 2026, at 1:30pm.

Where is Jagran Film Festival Mumbai 2026 being held?

Screenings and sessions take place at Cinepolis, Fun Republic Mall, Andheri West, Mumbai, from 28 to 31 October 2026.

How do I register for Jagran Film Festival Mumbai?

Registration and the full screening schedule are available on the festival's official website, jff.co.in.

When is the Jagran Film Festival awards night?

The awards ceremony is on 1 November 2026 from 7:30pm at the Grand Sangam Ballroom, JW Marriott Juhu.