Renowned actor Pankaj Tripathi to be guest of honour at NYC's India Day Parade

New York: Actor Pankaj Tripathi says India’s message of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and its rich cultural heritage will be on display at a mega parade in the American city that will celebrate the country’s 78th independence day.

Tripathi is in New York and will be the guest of honour at the 42nd India Day Parade that is being organised by leading diaspora organisation Federation of Indian Associations NY-NJ-CT-NE (FIA) on Sunday at Madison Avenue in the heart of Manhattan.

Tripathi said it is a moment of pride for him that the message of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ as well as India’s rich cultural heritage will be highlighted at the parade.

“We will showcase our message of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam to the people here in the US,” the "Stree 2" actor told PTI.

The annual parade passes through New York City's popular Madison Avenue and is attended by thousands of members of the Indian diaspora.

India’s rich cultural heritage, traditions and accomplishments are highlighted at the annual parade as the city’s Madison Avenue gets seeped in the colours of the Indian flag and Indian patriotic and popular songs waft through the celebratory atmosphere.

Along with Tripathi, actor-politician Manoj Tiwari will be the guest of honour at the parade, while actor Sonakshi Sinha will be the grand marshal and her actor-husband Zaheer Iqbal will be the VIP guest.

Tripathi added that the world is now a global village and cinema is that soft power which shows “our stories, heritage, culture to the world.” "Our stories and content have reached every corner of the world. People in the US are also experiencing them, thanks to dubbing and subtitles in various languages.

"Cinema, in particular, is a powerful medium – a soft power that enables us to share our culture and heritage with the world. It's a testament to our skills and creativity that we can showcase our culture so effectively," said the 47-year-old actor.

The National award winning actor has garnered innumerable accolades for his performances, including for films like ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, ‘Mimi’, ‘Stree’ and ‘Stree 2’ and web series ‘Criminal Justice’ and ‘Mirzapur’, where his character ‘Kaleen Bhaiya’ has a huge fan following among the audiences.

Tripathi said he is planning to come to the US in October for shows in about eight different cities where he will perform live.

"I'll be returning to the US in October for a busy schedule of shoots and live performances. I have around 8-9 shows lined up to be filmed here, and I'll be performing live in 8 different cities across the country.

"This is something I've always wanted to do - bring our plays to international audiences and interact with them in person," he added.