Pankaj Tripathi did not know if he won IIFA award for 83 or Ludo, asked media after event: 'I was so overwhelmed'

Pankaj Tripathi spoke about the 'wonderful' moment, when he received a standing ovation and thunderous applause along with an award at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards held in Abu Dhabi in June 2022. The actor said he was so overwhelmed by the audience's response to his win at the event that he was left confused about which of his movies won him the accolade. Also Read| Pankaj Tripathi regrets not meeting KK while working on Sherdil

Pankaj recalled that he later asked the media in Abu Dhabi to tell him whether his work in Ludo or 83 had gotten him the IIFA award in the Supporting Role (Male) category. The actor played notorious don Rahul Satyendra "Sattu" Tripathi in Ludo, a 2020 black comedy film written and directed by Anurag Basu. He played PR Man Singh, manager of the Indian Cricket Team at the 1983 World Cup, in Kabir Khan's 2021 sports biopic 83. Pankaj won the IIFA award for best supporting actor for his role in Ludo.

Pankaj recently told Bollywood Hungama about his confusion, "I was so overwhelmed that I didn't know. Kriti Sanon (who presented the award) had announced that it was for Ludo, but I was blank about which film I won this for. I was overwhelmed so didn't hear it. The noise was also such that I couldn't have heard it."

Pankaj said about the audience's reaction to his win, "It was a wonderful and an unforgettable moment. I just stood there with my hands folded and people would not go silent. I didn't grasp it instantly but realised after stepping down from the stage that it's wonderful that I have this connection with people here where most of the people are from Abu Dhabi. I said there also that I don't know what to say in speech because your claps said it all for me, you gave the speech on my behalf. I couldn't even properly say thanks to producers T-Series or Anurag dada. My wife was sitting there and I asked her and my daughter later in the night if they felt bad that I couldn't mention them in the speech. But it was such a soulful moment for me that I had forgotten everything at that point. I just said thanks to the audience for their love. "

Pankaj, who was last seen on the screen in Bachchan Paandey, will be next seen in a lead role in Sherdil: The Pilibhit Saga. The film is scheduled for a theatrical release on June 24. He will soon start filming for the third season of the Amazon Prime Video series Mirzapur in which he plays Kaleen Bhaiya.