Indian actor Anupam Tripathi’s presence in Netflix’s popular Squid Game series certainly made a lasting impression for many viewers.
Tripathi plays the Pakistani migrant worker character Abdul Ali or Player 199 who teams up with the main characters of the show in Squid Game.
According to 8days, Tripathi’s path to fame was an uphill task. Born in New Delhi to a middle class family, he made his showbiz debut in India in 2006.
The actor only made the move to South Korea in 2010 after he was encouraged by his friend to get a scholarship from Korea National University of Arts (KARTs).
“I hid my plans to move to Korea from my parents while preparing for the entrance examination [because] they were firmly against it. They only relented after I was accepted,“ he said.
Despite the family’s initial disapproval, Tripathi persevered and slowly got used to the cultural differences. He also had to juggle his studies and work as a theatre actor.
His hard work paid off when he got his first movie role in Ode To My Father which became the fourth highest-grossing film in the history of South Korean cinema.
Tripathi also never complained about being typecasted in migrant worker roles. He said he didn’t mind it one bit because he was grateful to have work and saw it as an opportunity to improve his Korean.
There were times when he worried whether he’ll land another role and whether he could continue living in South Korea if he’s jobless.
Thankfully, his biggest break came through when he got a role in Squid Game. Hopefully, the worldwide audience will get to see more of him in shows.
His mother and brothers are very proud of his achievements. Sadly, there’s only one person Tripathi is unable to share his success with.
“My dad would have been happy to see [my success] but he passed away in 2017. He would have been very happy,” said Tripathi.
