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Updated October 10th, 2021 at 12:47 IST

'Squid Game' Indian-origin star Anupam Tripathi on show's success: 'I wasn't prepared'

Anupam Tripathi, who rose to fame after essaying the role of Ali Abdul in Netflix's popular K-Drama, ‘Squid Game’, spoke about the show's success and more.

Reported by: Kriti Nayyar
squid game's Anupam Tripathi
IMAGE: INSTAGRAM/ @SANGIPAIYA | Image:self
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Anupam Tripathi has been riding high on the success of Netflix's popular K-Drama, Squid Game, in which he takes on the role of Ali Abdul, a Pakistani economic migrant to South Korea. The actor is still coming to terms with the show becoming a 'phenomenon and sensation', which Anupam 'wasn't prepared for'. The actor recollects how his phone was bombarded with messages for 'Ali', right after Squid Game premiered on September 17. 

As per Variety reports, Tripathi, who hails from New Delhi was inclined towards music in his primitive years when he chanced upon Spartacus' stage production. He then joined the Behroop theatre group from 2006 to 2010, mentored by the late playwright Shahid Anwar. Tripathi mentioned his fascination with theatre, which gave him an opportunity to go in front of the audience and express himself while turning into somebody else. 

Anupam Tripathi on Squid Game success 

Tripathi can be seen as one of the 456 players who join the survival game show, in order to make money for his wife and child. In 2010, Tripathi went on to win an Arts Major Asian scholarship to study acting at the  Korea National University of the Arts. He mastered the language in less than 2 years, and after graduating, he appeared in several films and series like Ode to My Father, Descendants of the Sun, and Space Sweepers

 Iterating that no role felt small to him since he wanted to go ahead in the field, the actor got an offer for Squid Game in January 2020 from a Korean casting agency specialising in foreign characters. He passed the auditions and met the director Hwang Dong-Hyuk, who garnered headlines for his work in the 2017 award-winning period action drama, The Fortress.

He underwent a physical transformation, gaining 5 or 6 kilograms for his role in the show where his physical strength became a key element for his survival. He then imbibed the nuances of the Urdu language through videos and spending time with his Pakistani friends, post which the shot from June to October 2020. He spoke about the 'majestic, magical' sets of the show, which helped everyone evolve better. The actor is now looking forward to doing more projects in South Korea in various dialects of the language.

Squid Game premiered on Netflix on September 17 and has since become one of the streamer's most-watched programs in several regional markets.

(IMAGE: INSTAGRAM/ @SANGIPAIYA)

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Published October 10th, 2021 at 12:47 IST

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