Meet Panchayat 2 actor Ashok Pathak, cotton seller to star

Actor Ashok Pathak portrayed the role of Vinod in Panchayat 2. In an exclusive chat, he spoke about his journey as an actor and the attention he recieved after appearing in the TVF series.

Panchayat Season 2 premiered on Amazon Prime Video on May 18. The TVF series has won many hearts with its simple narrative and relatable storyline. Apart from the lead characters, even the supporting cast gets all the love from the viewers. One such character that stands out in the series is Vinod, played by actor Ashok Pathak. In an exclusive chat with AajTak.in, the actor spoke about being reluctant to audition for Panchayat 2 as he was tired of playing the blink and miss roles.

Ashok has been into acting for the past 11 years. The Panchayat actor, who began his career with the film Bittoo Boss, was reluctant to audition for Panchayat Season 2. Speaking about the same he said, "When I got a call from the casting, I was very disappointed. In fact, for the last several years, I have been playing characters like a street vendor, a driver or a security guard. In such a situation, it seemed that this character Vinod is also like that. I kept postponing- the audition for two-three days. The casting guys are my friends, so I couldn't even deny them."

Ashok auditioned for the role and was selected. "I made an audition video and sent it to them. At that time, I was shooting for Aarya. They liked that video and I was finalised for the role. I never refuse work. But maybe this was bound to happen. But maybe it had to happen, otherwise I would not have got that much love from people," he said.

Ashok Pathak is loving the tremendous response of the audience and all the attention that he is getting. He is reading all the messages and comments on social media.

Ashok has seen a lot of ups and downs in his life. His family migrated from Bihar to Haryana for work and his family's financial condition was alright. When he was in Class 10, he started selling cotton to support his family. He used to sell cotton on a bicycle. By the time he was in Class 12, his father's financial condition had improved. He got into theatre in college and since then he has been into acting.

Ashok Pathak might have come to Mumbai with just Rs 40,000 in his pocket 11 years ago. But, today, thanks to the small roles he played in films and shows, he has bought a one-room-kitchen apartment in Mumbai.

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