Actor Pankaj Tripathi received the prestigious ‘Artist of Distinction’ honour at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2026. Pankaj was accompanied by his wife Mridula Tripathi at the festival. During a session with Rajeev Masand at IFFM, the actor jokingly called her out for being glued to her phone.

In a video going viral on social media, Pankaj can be seen speaking at IFFM when he notices Mridula busy on her phone. After realising that she was not paying attention to his session, he jokingly asked whom she had been texting continuously. His humorous reaction left the audience in splits.

“Tum kise lagatar type kiye jaa rahi ho meri nazar usme ja rahi hai. Mian dekh raha hoon mujhe sunn hi nahi rahi ho? (Whom are you texting continuously? My attention is going there. I am speaking continuously and you are not listening to me.) Are you typing what I’m saying?” he asked.

When Mridula replied that she was messaging their daughter Aashi, the actor said, “Tell her that her father‘s program has started.”

He added, “I am married such a beautiful woman 25 years ago, and I’m looking at her face continuously, seeing how she reacts to what I am speaking. I am watching her from sometime that she is continuously on her screen.”

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Many fans flooded the comments section of the post, praising Pankaj and Mridula’s relationship. “Sooo adorable,” a fan wrote. Another person commented, “The cutest thing on the internet.” “This friendship is the most beautiful,” a third comment read.

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Pankaj Tripathi tied the knot with Mridula Tripathi on January 15, 2004, after dating for more than 10 years. They were blessed with their first child, daughter Aashi Tripathi, in 2006.

On the professional front, Pankaj Tripathi will next be seen in Mirzapur: The Movie, returning as his popular character Kaleen Bhaiya. The film will hit theatres on September 4.