Are you a Korean drama fan?
Then you must remember Ali Abdul from Netflix Squid Game Season 1. Isn’t it?
Do you know who he is?
He is Anupam Tripathi, an outstanding Indian actor based in South Korea. So far, he has appeared in countless South Korean TV series & films. However, his role as a Sri Lankan Tamil man in Ode to My Father kick started his acting career.
Today, let’s talk about his early life, career growth, shows, & the upcoming movies in detail.
Anupam’s Bio Table
| Real name | Anupam Tripathi |
| Birthdate | 2nd November |
| Birthplace | Dakshinpuri, New Delhi, India |
| Anupam Tripathi Age | 36 |
| Gender | Male |
| Salary | Unknown |
| Net worth | USD 3 million |
| School | New Delhi |
| College | Kyung Hee University, Korea National University of Arts |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Languages known | Korean, Hindi, English |
| Height | 173 Centimeter |
| Weight | Unknown |
| Status | Active |
| Partner | Unmarried |
| Earning source | Commercials, Acting |
| Hobbies | Unknown |
| Profession | Actor |
| Instagram followers | 2.3 Million |
| Facebook followers | 1.8K |
Anupam’s Birthplace & Family
He was born on 2nd November 1988 in New Delhi, India. However, not much is known about his parents or family.
The Anupam Tripathi Family Tree
There is no update available about his parents or siblings.
Anupam’s Study Career
After schooling, he wanted to get admitted to the National School of Drama in New Delhi. However, destiny planned something else for him. He earned the Arts Major Asian scholarship in 2010 & got admitted to the Korea National University of Arts in Seoul.
He did a 3-month Korean language course at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, South Korea. After studying for only 2 years, Anupam mastered the Korean language. Also, he pursued his Master’s degree at KNAU after completing his graduation under the scholarship program.
The Look Table of Anupam
| Anupam Tripathi Height | 5 Feet 8 Inches |
| Weight | Unknown |
| Hair color | Black |
| Eyeball color | Black |
| Physique | Rectangle |
| Shoe size | Unknown |
| Tattoos | Unknown |
| Dressing Style | Classic |
| Common outfits | Suits, jackets, blazers |
| Accessories | Not known |
Anupam’s Splendid Acting Career
He developed his interest in acting after he played the role of a ‘slave’ in the Spartacus stage production. Also, he was a crucial part of Shahid Anwar’s Behroop theater group between 2006 and 2010 where he learned singing & acting.
Anupam loved to watch Korean dramas & aspired to become an actor in Korea. So, he moved to Seoul to complete his undergraduate program under a scholarship. Initially, he used to play minor roles in Korean plays & commercials. He debuted in a South Korean drama, Savoy Sauna at Doosan Art Center, Seoul in 2013.
However, he got his 1st movie role in Ode to My Father in 2014. Also, he played a minor role in the Korean independence play 불량청년 as a bomb expert fighting.
After it was selected for the 36th Seoul Theater Festival, he started to get offers for playing minor TV series characters. Most of his roles were based on being a migrant worker in Korean society.
However, he got significant attention from the global audience after playing the role of Abdul Ali in Squid Game. The character earned him a lot of appreciation from the director Hwang Dong-hyuk as well. According to Hwang, he is a good foreign actor in Korea with a true sense of emotions & fluency in Korean.
First 12 Movies & Shows of Anupam Tripathi
| Movies/TV Shows | Release Year | His Role | Director/Creator | Notes |
| Ode to My Father | 2014 | Sri Lankan Tamil man | Yoon Je-kyoon | War drama |
| The Phone | 2015 | Indian Worker | Kim Bong-joo | Action thriller |
| 불량청년 (Bad Boy) | 2015 | Mazar | ||
| Hogu’s Love | 2015 | (Minor character) | Pyo Min-Soo | Television series |
| Let’s Eat 2 | 2015 | Indian restaurant waiter | Park Joon-hwa & Choi Kyoo-Sik | Television series |
| Descendants of the Sun | 2016 | Man giving shoes to Dr. Kang | Lee Eung-bok & Baek Sang-hoon | Television series |
| The K2 | 2016 | Wounded man | Kwak Jung-hwan | Action series |
| Luck Key | 2016 | Indian man | Lee Gae-byok | Comedy/action |
| Heart Blackened | 2016 | Factory manager | Jung Ji-woo | Crime/thriller |
| The Heartbeat Operator | 2017 | Nepalese Chef | Jang Hee-Min | Romance |
| Just Between Lovers | 2017 | Sook-hee’s customer | Kim Jin Won | Television drama |
| Revolutionary Love | 2017 | Worker looking for a job behind Byun Hyuk | Song Hyun-wook | Romantic comedy |
Top 9 Anupam Movies & TV Shows
| Movies/TV Shows | Release Year | His Character | Director/Creator | Co-Star |
| Asura: The City of Madness | 2016 | Indian worker | Sung Soo Kim | Jung Woo-sung |
| Space Sweepers | 2021 | Sullivan’s assistant | Sung-hee Jo | Song Joong-ki |
| The 8th Night | 2021 | Preacher | Kim Tae-hyung | Lee Sung-min |
| Strangers from Hell | 2019 | Kumail | Lee Chang Hee | Yim Si Wan |
| Squid Game | 2021 | Ali Abdul | Hwang Dong-hyuk | Lee Jung-jae |
| Narco-Saints | 2022 | Surinamese Soldier | Yoon Jong-bin | Ha Jung-woo |
| King The Land | 2023 | Prince Samir | Im Hyun-wook | Im Yoon-ah |
| IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack | 2024 | Ram Chandra Yadav | Anubhav Sinha | Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur |
| Rhapsody for The Dead | 2024 | Spirit exorcist | Kim Hyeon-joon | Song Seung-hyun |
Other TV Shows/Movies of Anupam Tripathi
| TV Shows/Movies | Release Year | His Role | Director/Creator |
| Miss and Mrs. Cops | 2019 | Saudi Arabian subordinate | Jung Da-won |
| Arthdal Chronicles | 2019 | Minor character | Kim Won-seok |
| Hospital Playlist | 2020 | Foreign patient’s co-worker | Shin Won-ho |
| Taxi Driver | 2021 | Courier money deliverer | Martin Scorsese |
| Vanishing | 2022 | Foreign broker | George Sluizer |
| Scammers (podcast audio series) | 2022 | Criminal disguised as a telemarketer from India. (voice artist) | Unknown |
Upcoming Anupam Tripathi Movies And TV Shows
| Shows/Movies | Release Year | His Role | Director/Creator |
| Changhon: Night of Salvation | To be announced | Anuat | Kaiyu Chang & Yuan-Ciao Li |
Anupam Tripathi: ’The Squid Game’ Star!
His character as Ali Abdul in the Netflix series Squid Game made him a global star in one night. The thriller series is directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk where he played the role of a Pakistani migrant worker. Also known as Player No. 199, Ali Abdul is deceived & ultimately shot dead. The innocence & purity of the character meeting the ultimate end like this evoked horror & fear in the audiences’ minds.
Also, his role as a misunderstood R&AW agent in IC 814 is also an example of his phenomenal talent for acting. The Netflix series is based on the true event of the 1999 Kandahar hijack. In this, Anupam was featured as a strong character of an agent trying desperately to break a piece of information. His role in this series elevated his professional career to a whole new level.
Anupam’s Pipeline
He has several projects to work on. For example, he is filming for a U.K. short film of which he himself is the executive producer. Also, he is working on another Korean drama that is a surprise for his fans for now.
The Awards Anupam Tripathi Got
| Award | Year | Character | Work | Category |
| Screen Actors Guild | 2022 | Ali Abdul | Squid Game | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series |
| 17th Seoul International Drama | 2022 | Ali Abdul | Squid Game | Asian Star (Korea) |
Anupam’s Net Worth
It is estimated that the Squid Game cast has a net worth of USD 3 million.
Quick Facts About Anupam Tripathi
- His nickname is Nana Gold
- He is a Scorpio
- Anupam is a non-vegetarian
- He has a sun parakeet, Romeo
- He was the ambassador for the 1st Ulsan International Film Festival, 2021
- His Instagram ID is sangipaiya with 2.3 Million followers
- Anupam believes in gratefulness & being humble
- His facebook page has 1.8K followers
- He loves to share funny & entertaining short videos on his Instagram & Facebook
- His Korean name is Ahn Woo-beom, ‘Woo’ standing for actor & ‘beam’ meaning tiger
| Likes | Dislikes |
| Speculaas | Not known |
| Shah Rukh Khan, Irfan Khan, Charlie Chaplin, Marlon Brando | – |
| Loves to share pictures of Romeo, his pet on Instagram | – |
Why Is Anupam Tripathi So Popular?
He was featured in multiple Korean dramas, series, & commercials. So, it already earned him a lot of global appreciation. However, Squid Game was a game-changer for him. His role of Ali Abdul, an innocent Pakistani migrant worker travelling across just to support his child & wife melted the audiences’ hearts.
Who is Anupam’s Wife?
As of now, Anupam is unmarried & he is not dating anyone.
Controversies About Anupam Tripathi
In a recent interview, he discussed the IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack controversy. Apart from sharing his own experiences, he also hoped to change Indians’ perceptions of living in Korea.
Anupam says that when he plays a character, he tries to go deeper into it justifying every action. Recently, in a BBC interview, he said that for Squid Game, he gained 5 to 6 Kilograms of weight to look “like somebody who has some power.”
Also, he watched several BBC documentaries on Pakistani migrants. Moreover, he started to spend time with his Pakistani friends to do justice to his character as Ali Abdul. He expressed his heartfelt gratitude to everyone for appreciating his Squid Game character so much. He said, “I was not prepared….suddenly everyone was messaging me and it was ‘Ali,’ ‘Ali,”.
The actor had a chance to meet the legendary Indian actors like Pankaj Kapur & Naseeruddin Shah. He further discussed a lot about how to improvise his acting skills & so on.
What’s Anupam Tripathi Doing These Days?
Currently, he is just busy with his filming. However, recently he was invited to the Oxford Union where he was also the brand ambassador for Korean film festivals. The star feels blessed to represent Indian actors along with Korean culture.
Anupam’s Present Acting Career
He has multiple projects to work on. However, he stresses the fact that despite working in the Korean industry, he is deeply rooted in his Indian culture. So, whenever the chance arises, he will play roles in Indian movies or web series.
Did Anupam Face Any Challenge In His Career?
Initially, he faced a lot of issues to get accustomed with the Korean lifestyle & food. Travelling to a different country with different ethnic & cultural values & settling there is indeed difficult. However, he did not face any significant challenge in his career apart from being a foreign actor in the Korean film industry.
What Does The Future Hold For Anupam Tripathi?
The actor tries to bridge the gap between Korean & Indian entertainment industries. His goal is to explore his talent as a true actor. So, he wants to play diverse roles in the future & wants to be known as “an Indian actor in Korea.” In short, he is proud to represent “India and foreign actors also” & will work endlessly for greater achievements.
What Should The Anupam Fans Look Forward to?
Despite working for 11 long years in Korean theatres & cinemas, Anupam thinks that “I still have a lot to do here….” So, his fans can expect some blockbusters coming from his side as he wants the film industry to take foreign actors seriously. Also, he is optimistic about paving his way for global recognition as an international actor in the Korean film industry.
