From Cotton Seller To An Actor, Inspiring Life Of Ashok Pathak AKA Vinod From Panchayat 2

The second season of Panchayat launched on Amazon Prime Video on May 18. With its simplistic narrative and familiar premise, the TVF series has captured many hearts since then. While the main character, Abhishek Tripathi (Jitendra Kumar), has once again stolen the show with his developing relationship with Rinky (a role played by Sanvika), the supporting cast also receives a lot of attention from the audience.

While most of the other characters have a lot of screen time, Vinod is one character who doesn’t have a lot of screen time but yet manages to steal the show (the character played by Ashok Pathak).

Vinod, played by actor Ashok Pathak, is one of the series’ standout characters. The internet can’t stop applauding his character. But do you know how he came to know that? Do you know how much he has done to come to this stage?

Who is Ashok Pathak?

Ashok Pathak is an actor who has been in the industry for 11 years and since then, he has done many minimal roles, including his part in The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015), Shanghai (2012), Sacred Games (2018), Class Of 83 (2020), Pushpavalli and many more.

In the series, Panchayat 2, he has played the role of Vinod, an ordinary villager who just wants his own toilet. But owing to certain conditions, he hasn’t got it yet. So, on this topic, he was manipulated by Bhushan (a role played by Durgesh Kumar) to protest against not getting a toilet, but soon he realised that whatever he was doing was wrong.

Ashok’s early life

In his life, Ashok has faced many highs and lows. His family moved from Bihar to Haryana for employment, and they were in good financial shape but not very good. He began selling cotton while he was in class 10 to help support his family. He used to ride his bicycle around selling cotton. His father’s financial situation had improved by the time he was in class 12. He started getting into theatrical stuff in college and has been doing acting ever since.

Ashok Pathak may have arrived in Mumbai 11 years ago with only Rs 40,000 in his pocket. But, because of his tiny appearances in films and television series, he now has a one-room kitchen flat in Mumbai. Of course, it’s nothing when compared with other actors’ luxury rooms who have also completed 11 years in the industry. But, nonetheless, it’s still significant to change the course of life in Mumbai, a kind of expensive city.

How did he get a chance in Panchayat 2?

While talking with India Today, the Panchayat’s Vinod, who debuted in the film Bittoo Boss, was hesitant to audition for Season 2 of Panchayat. In response to the same, he stated,

“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.”

After a decade of struggle, Ashok, who was not optimistic, stated,

“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.”

What do you think about his role? Ping us in comment section.