Here’s How Pankaj Tripathi Became Guruji in ‘Sacred Games’

Can you picture anyone else in his place?

Pankaj Tripathi as Guruji in season two of Sacred Games.

(Photo Courtesy: Netflix) 

While he had only a brief appearance in season one of Netflix’s Sacred Games, Pankaj Tripathi features as one of the main characters in the show’s second season, which was released on 15 August. He plays Guruji, an Osho-like figure and gangster Ganesh Gaitonde’s (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) teesra baap (third father), who happens to be a key part of the mystery police officer Sartaj Singh (Saif Ali Khan) is saddled with solving.

Tripathi nails the role of the aphorism-spouting god man, but if you’re wondering why he was chosen for this particular part and not that of a gangster considering his roles in Gangs of Wasseypur and Mirzapur instead, this video released by Netflix may make things clearer:

The hilarious promotional video plays like a mock audition tape with Pankaj trying out different roles. He begins by trying out a few lines as Gaitonde, but can’t quite get the menacing tone of the don right. He then attempts to play the gangster’s right-hand man Bunty but refuses after being appalled by his vulgar lines. He’s about to leave in a huff when the casting director coaxes him to try out for Guruji and as he begins chanting, “Aham Brahmasmi”, you realise just how perfect he is for the role.

In an earlier interview, Pankaj revealed that one of his most challenging scenes was when he had to deliver an 11-minute long monologue in one take. "It was a magical experience and I had a great time shooting for that particular shot. I remember [director] Anurag Kashyap asking me to deliver it once again, since nobody knew it would take as long as it did. So, for technical purposes, we did it all over again," he told IANS.