With content driven films defining new-age cinema, Pankaj Tripthi is evidently enjoying his time in the sun. In his kitty this year are 10 films, including Salman Khan-backed Kagaz, which will see him essay the role of a leading man. Tripathi doesn't take the term 'character actor' kindly. He jokes, "Toh leading man character nahin play karta?"

"Ten years ago, character actors would play stock roles, like a lawyer. But such large earned me roles like Madhav Mishra [from Criminal Justice], which was nuanced. To give credit where it's due, writers and directors are widening the horizons of story-writing. Every actor is pursuing [quality] characters over screen space," says Tripathi.