Pankaj Tripathi's father Pandit Banaras Tiwari passes away at 99

Pankaj Tripathi with his parents

Actor Pankaj Tripathi has lost his father Pandit Banaras Tiwari. He was 99. In an official statement, Tripathi's team confirmed saying, "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 was shooting for a film in Uttarakhand when he got the news of his father's demise. The actor immediately left for his village in Bihar. His father lived with his mother in their village in Belsand, while the 'OMG 2' star lives with his wife and daughter in Mumbai

Previously, in an interview with Hindustan Time in 2018, Pankaj had spoken about his father and how he wanted him to become a doctor. "My father wanted me to become a doctor. The place where I hail from - a village in Gopalganj in North Bihar - people, only know two professions: an engineer or a doctor. I am a son of a farmer. My village is [situated so much in the] interior that there are still no well-built roads there," he had said.

He added that his family did support his acting dreams. "They didn't have any unfulfilled dreams, which they would have wanted me to fulfill. The only concern they had was whether I would be able to earn rozi-roti. I told them that if I went to Delhi (Pankaj is an alumnus of National School of Drama), I could even get a government job. Now, the thing with middle-class people is that sarkaari job sunke unhe lagta hai theek hoga. So my father said, ‘yes'."

Pankaj Tripathi was last seen in the recently released film 'OMG 2' co-starring Akshay Kumar and Yami Gautam. The actor who plays a Shivbhakt fights a legal case of his son in the film. He has been lauded for his stellar performance in the film.