Korean series Squid Game has become the talk of the town ever since its release on streaming giant Netflix last month. The show has reached more than 111 million viewers and the stars have become a topic of discussion globally. Among them is Delhi-born actor Anupam Tripathi, who starred as a migrant named Javed Ali in the series.
Who is Anupam Tripathi?
Born in Delhi, the 32-year-old did theatre in the national capital from 2006 to 2010 before moving to South Korea for higher education. After completing his course, the actor decided to try his luck in the Korean entertainment industry and went on to make his acting debut act with ‘Ode to My Father’ in 2014.
He acted in several Korean TV shows and films like ‘Descendants of the Sun’, ‘Hospital Playlist’ and ‘Space Sweepers’ before he landed the coveted role in Squid Game after several auditions. He plays the role of Javed Ali, a Pakistani migrant worker, in the series.
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Speaking about how he prepped for the role, Anupam told the Hindu, “I began to think about the similarities as well as differences Ali and I shared. Firstly, Ali was a healthy guy and needed to look like someone who had power to compete and do well in the games. So I worked hard on my physique and gained 6 kgs.”
He reads several articles and watched documentaries to learn more about migrant workers in South Korea and across the world.
“These are very real things happening across the world. I kept filling my mind by meeting people, reading about them, and watching documentaries to play Ali on screen,” he told the Hindu.
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The actor, who has over 3 million followers on Instagram, also spoke about working with veteran actors Lee Jung-jae and Park Hae-soo on the hit series.
“Park Hae-soo is very caring and treated me like a friend, so there was never a point where I felt afraid or pressured in any way. Instead, he helped me a lot and drew out parts within me to help me do better,” he said in an interview with local media.
