Pankaj Tripathi explains what an alpha male means to him: 'Someone who is a leader'

Pankaj Tripathi explains what an alpha male means to him: 'Someone who is a leader, without chest-thumping masculinity'

Pankaj Tripathi has shared his views on what it means to be an alpha male while talking about his new romantic comedy ‘Parivarik Manuranjan’, in which he stars opposite Aditi Rao Hydari. The film drew attention after its trailer, where his character says he is done being a beta and will turn alpha.

Pankaj Tripathi on the meaning of alpha

The line was widely seen as a jab at the typical alpha male image often shown in mainstream Bollywood. In a chat with Hindustan Times, Pankaj Tripathi explained his own idea of the term. He described an alpha male as “someone who is a leader, without chest-thumping masculinity”.He also spoke about old sayings that shape how men are expected to behave. He said, "Mard ke seene mein dard nahi hota. Choodiyan nahi pehan rakhi hain (Men don't feel pain.

They're not wearing bangles). All these small taglines have been passed down for centuries, from generation to generation.”

Pankaj Tripathi on being called woke

Pankaj Tripathi said he knows some readers may react negatively. He said, "And now when I say this, and you write it in the interview, some people in the comments section might say, ‘He’s trying to act very woke.’ Well, that’s fine; there is a need to be a little conscious or woke. I don’t become nonsensically woke just to say something sensational for the sake of starting a discussion."

Why did Pankaj Tripathi sign the film

The actor said he was drawn to the film because it felt true to life. “I felt it’s the kind of story I think about—very close to real life, slice-of-life—and without any gimmicks or screenplay show-offs trying to shock the audience. It’s simple, ordinary storytelling. I call it ordinary because nobody wants to make an ordinary story nowadays; everyone wants to make something extraordinary,” he said.He added, “It’s not that simple; films don’t come at all now, but they come very rarely. They don’t get marketed well, and they are very rare because the medium of storytelling has changed. Gimmicks have entered; everyone wants shock value.” “I received the script at night, read it at night, and called them (the makers) first thing in the morning saying I’m doing it, because I had no doubts about it,” he said.

More about 'Parivarik ManuRanjan'

Directed by Varun V. Sharma, the film stars Darpan Bhardwaj,

Karan Chanana

, and Aklavya Chaudhary. The film started streaming on SonyLIV on November 13, 2026.