Ashok Pathak is an Indian actor, who appeared in the popular Hindi TV series ‘Panchayat’ (2020), which aired on Amazon Prime Video. In the series ‘Panchayat,’ there is a popular dialogue “Dekh Raha Hai Vinod,” and the character Vinod is played by Ashok.
Wiki/Biography
Ashok Pathak was born on Thursday, 3 January 1985 (age 38 years; as of 2022) in Saran Village, Faridabad, Haryana. His zodiac sign is Capricorn. He did his graduation at CRM Jat College, Hisar. While he was pursuing his graduation, he joined the theatre group of his college and won the Best Actor award four times. After completing his graduation, he pursued a Master of Arts in Literature at Kurukshetra University, Haryana. He then applied for Bharatendu Natya Academy, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh and got selected. He was the topper of his batch there for which he received a scholarship. After two years of training there, he did a one-year internship at Bharatendu Natya Academy.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 7″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Brown
Family
He belongs to a migrant family from Bihar who moved to Hisar, Haryana for work.
Parents & Siblings
His father worked as a fireman and boiler operator at Jindal Industries Pvt. Limited, Haryana. He has a younger brother and a younger sister.
Wife
He is unmarried.
Religion
Ashok Pathak follows Hinduism.
Ashok Pathak doing Chhath Pooja
Career
Cotton Seller
During his childhood, his family faced various financial difficulties. His father took on various odd jobs to make ends meet. When he reached class 10, he made the decision to work and support his family. He started selling cotton on a bicycle with one of his uncles. Even during the hot summer months, he would cycle 25 kilometres to sell the cotton. By the time he reached class 12, his father’s financial situation had improved. After finishing his graduation, he even worked in the water treatment department at Jindal Industries Pvt. Limited in Haryana.
Theatre Artist
After completing his training at Bharatendu Natya Academy, he started doing commercial theatre in Haryana and directed plays at Kurukshetra University, Haryana for which he received Rs 40000, and with this money, he moved to Mumbai to try his luck in acting.
Ashok Pathak in a theatre play
Actor
Hindi Films
In 2012, he started his career as an actor with the Hindi film ‘Bittoo Boss’ in which he played the role of Bicky.
Bittoo Boss
He then did cameo roles in various Hindi films like ‘Shanghai’ (2012), ‘Shudra- The Rising’ (2012), ‘Fukrey Returns’ (2017), ‘102 Not Out’ (2018), and ’72 Hoorain’ (2020).
Ashok Pathak in Fukrey Returns
Punjabi Films
He made his Punjabi film debut with ‘Vekh Baraatan Challiyan’ (2017) as Birju.
Vekh Baraatan Challiyan
He has appeared in many Punjabi films like ‘Golak Bugni Bank Te Batua’ (2018), ‘Marriage Palace’ (2018), ‘Kala Shah Kala’ (2019), and ‘Kade Haan Kade Naa’ (2021).
A still of Ashok Pathak from the film Marriage Palace
English Film
In 2015, he appeared in the English film ‘The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ in which he played the role of Scorpian, a tuk-tuk driver.
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Web Series
Ashok has also acted in a few Hindi web series like ‘Modi: Journey of A Common Man’ (2019; Amazon Prime Video), ‘Pushpavalli’ (2017; Amazon Prime Video), ‘Rangbaaz’ (2018; ZEE5), and ‘Kathmandu Connection’ (2021; SonyLIV).
Pushpavalli
He gained immense popularity with his role as Vinod in the Hindi web series ‘Panchayat’ (2020), which streamed on Amazon Prime Video.
Panchayat
Other Work
He has been featured in TV commercials for various brands like Maggie, Sony Max, and Domino’s.
Facts/Trivia
- In an interview, he shared that in childhood, he was often bullied for being a Bihari migrant.
- While studying in school and college, he was never interested in studies. While in school, he made friends who were older than him, and in their company, he developed a habit of eating tobacco, smoking, and even drinking. He once shared that he was a movie buff in school and college and often bunk his classes to watch films in theatres.
- After completing his graduation, he came to know about the National School of Drama, New Delhi. Even after applying for NSD twice, he got rejected. He once shared that he was very depressed after getting rejected there.
- In his leisure time, he loves singing, reading books, and travelling to different places.
- He is often spotted smoking cigarettes and consuming alcohol at various events.
- In an interview, he shared that when he first started his career in Bollywood, he was offered only small roles. When a casting agent approached him to audition for the character of Vinod in the Hindi web series ‘Panchayat,’ he initially hesitated and kept postponing the audition. He believed that the role of Vinod would also be a small one and wouldn’t contribute much to his career. However, eventually, he agreed to give it a try. Even though it was a small role, he gained tremendous popularity through his portrayal in the series.
- In 2022, he was invited to Josh Talks.
A picture of Ashok Pathak in Josh Talks
- He is a spiritual person and often visits various religious places.
Ashok Pathak in temple premises
- In 2023, he received the Star of Haryana Award by Haryana Entertainment Industry Award.