Mumbai, June 24 (IANS): Acclaimed actor Pankaj Tripathi, who plays the deadly Kaleen Bhaiya in the series 'Mirzapur', said that before the show became a phenomenon, he and other stars were mentioned as just the “cast”.

Pankaj said: "Mirzapur undeniably marked a stepping stone in my career. Notably, during interviews, journalists often refer to us as the ‘star cast’. But before ‘Mirzapur’ became a global phenomenon, we were simply just the ‘cast’ of the show.”

The cast also includes Ali Fazal, Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Rasika Dugal, Vijay Varma, Isha Talwar, Anjum Sharma, Priyanshu Painyuli, Harshita Shekhar Gaur, Rajesh Tailang, Sheeba Chadha, Meghna Malik, and Manu Rishi Chadha.

Pankaj credits 'Mirzapur' for the stardom he enjoys today.

“It's ‘Mirzapur’ that has transformed us into stars. After season 1, the reaction I received from fans, especially women, took me by surprise. It made me realise that ‘Kaleen Bhaiya’ is unlike any other don Indian audiences have ever seen on celluloid,” he said.

Pankaj added: “As opposed to conventional mafias and dons, he effectively puts up a facade of being soft-spoken, ethical, and trustworthy. Kaleen Bhaiya is not your run-of-the-mill criminal, which makes him truly stand out among others.”

“We, as humans, have multiple facets to ourselves, and Kaleen Bhaiya is a perfect depiction of the same.”

The first season of the series, which commenced its journey in 2018, follows Pankaj’s character Akhandanand Tripathi, famously known as Kaleen Bhaiya, a fierce gangster in Mirzapur, Purvanchal, Uttar Pradesh.

Produced by Excel Media & Entertainment, ‘Mirzapur’ Season 3 is directed by Gurmmeet Singh and Anand Iyer.

The ten-episode series will premiere exclusively on Prime Video on July 5.

On the film front, Pankaj will next be seen in 'Stree 2', a horror comedy by Amar Kaushik.

The film is a sequel to the 2018 movie 'Stree', starring Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Abhishek Banerjee, and Aparshakti Khurana.