In a long and storied career, Pankaj Tripathi has received various accolades, including two National Film Awards. His next accolade, though, comes from across the seven seas. The actor will be conferred with the inaugural Artist of Distinction Award by the State Government of Victoria at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne in Australia this year. Before flying out for the festival, the acclaimed actor spoke to Hindustan Times about the honour and how it neatly ties in with his first validation, which came through the HT group itself.

Pankaj admits that getting an international honour was never on his bucket list. “When I left my village in ‘91, my only wish was that my village and a few neighbouring ones know my name. Then, when I started doing theatre in Patna, I wanted at least people in all the districts of Bihar should know me.”

Even though he started his acting journey in the early 90s, it wasn’t until the end of the decade that he got that piece of validation that made him feel he was on the right track. And that came in the form of an article in Hindustan.

However, the two-time National Award winner says he is now learning to detach himself from praise and criticism. “Now, I am in that state of mind where I feel honour and insult should not affect you too much. Of course, you should feel good, but keep a balance in your life. Na zyada neeche na zyada upar. I feel good about my journey when praise comes my way, but I try not to let it overwhelm me,” says the actor.