Success has been Pankaj Tripathi’s steady companion over the past few years. Now, he is pursuing something more — as a new producer, he wants to tell meaningful stories. As he steps into his new role, Tripathi says the actor in him will take a backseat. “I will take up less acting work. If I want to produce something, I won’t act for six-eight months that year. I have been working 300 days a year. Now, I want to give only 100-150 days to acting. I want to dedicate the remaining days to producing plays and other hobbies,” he tells us over a phone call.

His production dream is already being executed. While Tripathi’s first play, Lailaaj, opened in Mumbai last week, his first series, Perfect Family, premiered on YouTube on November 28. “In a year or two, we’ll do a feature film. Filmmaking is a costly medium, but I don’t want to earn a lot from it. I want to tell the stories of my heart,” he says.