| He was born in a small village of Belsand in Gopalganj, Bihar. |
| His father is a farmer and a very religious person. |
| In his childhood, he joined RSS and started visiting its “Shakhas.” |
| He wasn’t aware of films till 10th standard due to lack of TV and the nearest theatre being 20 km away from his village. |
| He inclined towards acting early and performed as a ‘girl artist’ at “Chhath Festival” in his village at age 12-14. |
| After primary education, his father sent him to Patna for further studies. |
| Pankaj’s father wanted him to become a Doctor. |
| While studying in Patna, he joined ABVP and participated in Student Movements. |
| He was an active student leader at his college in Patna and an eloquent speaker. |
| He excelled in sports and represented his college in High Jump and 100-meter sprint. |
| He did a course in Hotel Management and worked as a Cook for two years at Hotel Maurya in Patna. |
| He got heavily influenced by a Proscenium Theater play titled “Andha Kuan” and wept after watching it. |
| He became more involved in art in Patna, attending drama shows and developing an interest in acting. |
| In 1995, he appeared in a play and received praise for his role as a local thief. |
| Starting in 1996, he became a regular theater artist for four years. |
| In 2001, he got selected at the National School of Drama Examination and studied there until 2004. |
| After NSD, he returned to Patna for four months to continue theater. |
| On 16 October 2004, he moved to Mumbai with his wife to pursue acting. |
| From 2004 to 2010, he took up small roles in films and TV, including a Tata Tea commercial. |
| His wife started teaching in Goregaon, Mumbai. |
| His film debut was in the 2004 movie Run. |
| In 2010, he landed a role in the TV series “Gulal” on Star Plus. |
| While working on Gulal, he auditioned for Anurag Kashyap’s film Gangs of Wasseypur and was initially not approved. |
| However, he was eventually cast as “Sultan” after persuasion from the casting director. |
| His role in Gangs of Wasseypur was well-received by both viewers and critics. |
| The success of Gangs of Wasseypur led him to receive more film offers. |
| His performances in Fukrey, Manjhi: The Mountain Man, and Masaan were lauded by critics and audiences. |
| He revealed his favorite Bihari dish is bhujiya and expressed a desire to promote Bihari and Jharkhand cuisine if he opened a restaurant. |
| One of his favorite leaders is Atal Bihari Vajpayee, whom he portrayed in the film ‘Main Atal Hoon’ (2024). He recalled trying to meet Vajpayee during a speech in Patna in 1995-96, where he saw Shatrughan Sinha for the first time. |
