National Award-winning actor Pankaj Tripathi says coming from such a humble background and a years-long struggle in the Hindi film industry, he never imagined that his work would get international recognition as the actor will be honoured with the Diversity in Cinema award.

This year, the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne will honour Pankaj Tripathi with the Diversity in Cinema award. The award will be presented by eminent filmmaker Anurag Kashyap in the presence of the Governor who will be the host of the evening.

Speaking about the award, Pankaj said, "I never thought that my work would be recognized by a global audience and I will be honoured with a prestigious award by the government of a foreign country. I am so grateful and humbled to see that my performances are being appreciated and this gives me the confidence to perform even better."

Pankaj has made his presence felt in both films and web series. He has been nominated for the Best Performance (Male) in the film category for 'Ludo' and for the Best Performance (Male) in web series for 'Mirzapur' S2. His short film 'Laali' has also made it to the festival this year.

The festival's director Mitu Bhowmick Lange added, "IFFM has always stood for diversity through cinema and Pankaj Tripathi is an embodiment of the same. He plays diverse roles with such finesse making him perfect for the Diversity in Cinema award. With his acting prowess and unsurpassed talent, he makes every role in every format fascinating."