My Best Co-Star Experience: Janhvi on Working With Pankaj Tripathi

A video released by Netflix shows Janhvi Kapoor and Pankaj Tripathi speaking on working with each other.

A still from Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl.

(Photo Courtesy: Pinterest)

“Whether it’s a man or a woman flying the plane, both are called pilots”, says Anup Saxena (played by Pankaj Tripathi) to his daughter Gunjan (Janhvi Kapoor) in the upcoming Netflix film Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl. Be it on screen or the sets, Pankaj Tripathi stands out in the way he inspires his co-stars. In a short clip released by Netflix, Janhvi speaks about the growing affection between her and Tripathi while shooting for the movie.

“Gunjan was not Janhvi Kapoor for me, she was my own daughter”, said Tripathi. The actor said that his dynamic with Janhvi stems from a similar relationship with his real-life daughter, Aashi. Speaking about Janhvi, Pankaj Tripathi said she is innocent, sensitive and sincere. He also shared that their on-screen relationship is so special that he would be reduced to tears after every three-four takes.

Talking about working with an industry legend, Janhvi said this is the best co-star experience she has had. Comparing her relationship with Tripathi to that shared by the titular character and her father, the actor said - “For her, what her father says is the gospel truth and that’s where it starts and ends for her. I think that’s how it had become for me and Pankaj sir.”

Based on the life of Indian Air Force officer and pilot Gunjan Saxena, a 1999 Kargil War veteran and the first woman IAF officer to take part in a war, the movie shows the difficulties she had to face as a woman during her training at the IAF academy. The film also stars Angad Bedi as Gunjan’s brother Manav Vij and Ayesha Raza Mishra as her mother. The film is set to be released on Netflix on 12 August.