Remember the character of Guruji from Netflix’s Sacred Games? Essayed by Pankaj Tripathi, he was one of the dark horses of the first season. The character appeared in a cameo in a few episodes, and it was suggested that he may become more prominent in the future.
The actor has a long history of working with co-director Anurag Kashyap, most prominently in the Gangs of Wasseypur films. He has also delivered a powerful performance in the Rajkumar Rao-starrer Newton and recent hits like Bareilly Ki Barfi.
In an interview, Pankaj said that Guruji will become a pivotal character in the show’s future.
Guruji is a larger-than-life part and will become the most sought-after character in the series. My character becomes as big as Gaitonde.Pankaj Tripathi to Mid-Day.
In season one, Ganesh Gaitonde (played spectacularly by Nawazuddin Siddiqui) describes Guruji as his ‘teesra baap’ (‘third father’), the man who had a great influence on him, and potentially stabbed him in the back. Essentially, the character of Guruji is the thread that brings together the two predominant characters of the show, Gaitonde and inspector Sartaj Singh (essayed endearingly by Saif Ali Khan).
Nawaz bhai and I lived in the same hostel at the NSD (National School Of Drama). We admire each other’s work. Since we come from the same acting background, our approach to work is similar. We have been taught by the same people. When we meet, we hardly talk work, we reminisce about the old times.Pankaj Tripathi
In an interview to Hindustan Times, Anurag Kashyap also stated that Guruji will become a central character in the future. Saif has said that we can expect four seasons of eight episodes each.
Since the first season ended with such a tense cliff-hanger, we are all eagerly awaiting the second season.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
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