Pankaj Tripathi awarded at Cape Town film fest, elated

Pankaj Tripathi, who has won the Best Actor title at the Cape Town International Film Market and Festival for "Mango Dreams", says appreciation of talent anywhere in the world always feels good.

"If an actor's work is appreciated anywhere in the world, it always feels good. A lot of hard work goes behind every project and it takes years of perseverance and dedication to achieve success."

"The fact that I have been recognised on an international level, is very humbling," Pankaj told IANS over phone from Mohali where he is currently shooting a new film.

"Mango Dreams", directed by John Upchurch, is about a Hindu doctor with dementia and a Muslim auto-rickshaw driver who form an unlikely friendship as they cross India in search of the doctor's childhood home.

Pankaj essays the auto-rickshaw driver, while the role of the doctor is essayed by theatre veteran Ram Gopal Bajaj.

The actor's work in "Newton" and "Bareilly Ki Barfi" has been widely appreciated in the recent past. He is also excited about the selection of "Newton" as India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars.