Pandit Banaras Tiwari, the father of actor Pankaj Tripathi, has passed away. He was 98. The actor has left from Uttarakhand, where he was filming,, to his village in Belsand, Bihar. His father and mother lived there, while Pankaj and his wife and daughter lived in Mumbai.
An official statement from the family read, “It’s with a heavy heart to confirm that Pankaj Tripathi’s father, Pandit Banaras Tiwari is no more. He lived a wholesome life of 99 years. His last rites will be performed today amongst his close family. Pankaj Tripathi is currently on his way to his village in Gopalganj.”
Pankaj Tripathi stated in an old interview with Hindustan Times that his dad wanted him to become a doctor. He stated that he is from Gopalganj, Bihar, where just two professions were known: engineer and doctor. “My village is (situated so much in the) interior that there are still no well-built roads there,” he said.
Pankaj Tripathi told Mashable in another interview that his dad isn’t exactly aware of what he works in the film industry. “He is not too proud of my achievements. My father does not even know what and how I do in cinema. To date, he has not seen how a movie theatre looks from the inside. He sees my work if someone shows him on their computer or on the television, which was recently installed at my house,” he said.