Pankaj Tripathi on spirituality: 'I don't express anger, but stopping it is harder'
Synopsis
Pankaj Tripathi says he can control how he reacts to anger — but stopping the emotion from rising is a battle he's still fighting. Speaking ahead of 'Parivarik ManuRanjan' on SonyLIV, the actor called himself a 'sanyasi holding on to the external,' in a rare, unguarded admission about where his spiritual journey truly stands.
Key Takeaways
Pankaj Tripathi spoke about his spiritual journey and emotional discipline ahead of 'Parivarik ManuRanjan' releasing on SonyLIV on 13 November 2026 .
He distinguished between controlling the expression of anger and preventing anger from arising — saying he has achieved the former but is still working on the latter.
Tripathi described himself as a 'sanyasi who is holding on to the external,' acknowledging the internal work remains unfinished.
He also reflected on the craft of acting, comparing character prep (a few weeks) to actor formation (years) — likening it to a carpenter learning their trade.
Co-actor Aditi Rao Hydari was present during the interaction in Goregaon East, Mumbai .
Actor Pankaj Tripathi has opened up about his evolving spiritual journey and his ongoing effort to master emotional discipline, speaking candidly ahead of the release of his upcoming streaming film 'Parivarik ManuRanjan', set to debut on SonyLIV on 13 November 2026. The conversation took place in the Goregaon East area of Mumbai, where Tripathi appeared alongside co-actor Aditi Rao Hydari.
The Spiritual Work in Progress
Tripathi was candid about where he stands on the inward journey. 'I am a sanyasi who is holding on to the external. I need to practice the internal, that is the final process,' he said. He drew a clear distinction between the control of emotional expression and the deeper, more elusive ability to prevent an emotion from arising altogether.
'I don't express my anger, that is one thing. But to not get angry, is another thing. That is the control that I have. If I get angry, I know that my anger will disappear in a few seconds. That is all I understand. The anger taking over my mind cannot be stopped. But how I react in anger is something in my control,' he explained.
On Greed, Lust and the Human Condition
The actor did not limit his reflection to anger alone. 'Greed, greed, lust, all emotions are inside of us. There is everything inside us. There is violence and violence. I would say that I'm still working on it,' he added. The admission is a rare moment of public vulnerability from an actor widely regarded as one of Hindi cinema's most grounded performers.
Acting as a Lifelong Craft
Tripathi also revisited his long-held philosophy on the craft of acting, emphasising that character preparation is a small window within a much larger, lifelong process of becoming an actor. 'You get to play a character in one or two weeks or three weeks. You read the film, and then you try to be close to the character. It's a matter of a few weeks, it takes years to prepare an actor. Like how it takes 4 days to make a chair, but it takes 4 years for the carpenter to learn how to make it perfectly,' he said.
About Parivarik ManuRanjan
'Parivarik ManuRanjan' releases on SonyLIV on 13 November 2026. The film marks another streaming outing for Tripathi, who has built a formidable body of work across OTT platforms in recent years. The pairing with Aditi Rao Hydari adds further anticipation to the project. All eyes now turn to whether the film will match the quiet, character-driven depth that Tripathi's audience has come to expect.
Point of View
But it also points to something genuinely rare in Bollywood promotional culture — a star willing to frame his own spiritual practice as incomplete rather than arrived. Most celebrity wellness talk resolves neatly into enlightenment-lite. Tripathi's admission that he can suppress the expression of anger but cannot yet stop its rise is the more honest, and more interesting, position. Whether this translates into audience curiosity about 'Parivarik ManuRanjan' depends on whether the film matches the depth its leading man projects in conversation.
NationPress
10 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Pankaj Tripathi say about his spiritual journey?
Tripathi described himself as a 'sanyasi who is holding on to the external,' indicating he has made progress in controlling how he expresses emotions but has not yet achieved the deeper goal of preventing those emotions from arising. He said he is 'still working on it' across emotions like anger, greed, and lust.
What is 'Parivarik ManuRanjan' and when does it release?
'Parivarik ManuRanjan' is an upcoming streaming film starring Pankaj Tripathi and Aditi Rao Hydari, set to premiere on SonyLIV on 13 November 2026.
What is Pankaj Tripathi's philosophy on acting?
Tripathi believes that preparing for a character takes only a few weeks, but preparing to be an actor takes years. He compared it to a carpenter who takes 4 years to master a craft that then produces a chair in 4 days.
Who is Pankaj Tripathi's co-actor in 'Parivarik ManuRanjan'?
Aditi Rao Hydari co-stars alongside Pankaj Tripathi in 'Parivarik ManuRanjan'. Both actors were present together during the interview session in Goregaon East, Mumbai.
What did Pankaj Tripathi say specifically about anger?
He said: 'I don't express my anger, that is one thing. But to not get angry, is another thing... The anger taking over my mind cannot be stopped. But how I react in anger is something in my control.' He added that if he does get angry, the feeling passes within a few seconds.
