Mumbai, Aug 21 (IANS): Acclaimed actor Pankaj Tripathi's father Pandit Banaras Tiwari has died at the age of 99. The final rites will be taking place on Monday.

According to reports, Pankaj was shooting in Uttarakhand for a film, and is now on his way back to his village in Gopalganj, Bihar.

An official statement read: “It’s with a heavy heart to confirm that Pankaj Tripathi’s father, Pandit Banaras Tiwari is no more. He lived a wholesome life of 99 years.”

“His last rites will be performed today amongst his close family. Pankaj Tripathi is currently on his way to his village in Gopalganj,” the statement added.

Pankaj's latest release is OMG 2 with Akshay Kumar and Yami Gautam. It has been performing well at the box office. The film on its tenth day has collected Rs. 113.67 crore at the box office.

Born in Gopalganj, Bihar, the National Award-winner enrolled himself in the National School of Drama from where he graduated and moved to Mumbai in 2004. Tripathi did an uncredited role in the film Run (2004) and did several minor roles in films such as Raavan (2010) and Agneepath (2012) and in some television series including Powder.

He rose to fame with his role as Sultan in Anurag Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur. He has worked in popular films such as Fukrey (2013), Masaan (2015), Nil Battey Sannata (2016), Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017), Newton (2017), Stree (2018), Ludo and Mimi (2021).

He has starred in several web series in leading roles, including Mirzapur, Criminal Justice, Yours Truly, and Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors.

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