Acclaimed actor Pankaj Tripathi has shared a special reason why working in the upcoming film Ludo made the experience truly memorable. In the film, the actor shares screen space with his National School of Drama friend Bhanu Uday for the first time.

When Pankaj and his wife Mridula first came to Mumbai, they stayed with Bhanu. It was Bhanu who made several calls to Pankaj to come to Mumbai and try his luck in the Hindi film industry. Mridula and Pankaj stayed with Uday for six months before they moved into their own house. Now, after two decades, Pankaj and Bhanu finally got to share screen space in the upcoming film.

"Our friends backed us when we are absolutely nobody, and they matter the most. In many ways, Bhanu was that friend in my life. It was he who encouraged me to try my luck in Bollywood. Had he not insisted, maybe I would have stuck to doing theatre in Delhi," Pankaj said.

"He has played a crucial role in my formative years in the year. And I was so thrilled to work with him for the first time in Ludo after our NSD days. The film has been sheer joy for many reasons but working with Bhanu, tops my list!" Pankaj added.

The Anurag Basu-directed multistarrer anthology Ludo also stars Abhishek Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao and Sanya Malhotra, along with Aditya Roy Kapur, Rohit Saraf and Asha Negi.