Fifteen years ago, Mahesh Tripathi left for Kathmandu with a pocket full of dreams. He wanted to become an actor. In 2023, he finally returned to Pokhara, his hometown, after fulfilling his dream. And it is all thanks to ‘Halkara,’ a film that has given him both identity and faith. He considers these long years a form of banishment—an exile away from the comfort of home. At age 21, he bravely attempted to swim in the sea of dreams alone, without any companions or support. After reaching Kathmandu, a type of loneliness took over him. But when his film hit the theatres in Pokhara, he felt as though it was all worth it.

Mahesh came into the limelight for his portrayal of a struggling postman—known as halkara in Nepali—in the titular film. Subsequently, he received the ‘Best Actor’ award at the 55th annual Worldfest-Houston film festival in the United States. “After receiving the award, I checked the name on the trophy to make sure it was really me. It felt a little too good to be true.”

Returning to his struggling days, he recalls leaving for Kathmandu with a single bag of worn-out clothes and a few days’ worth of food. His family wanted him to settle down and find a decent job in Pokhara, but he chose to leave anyways, driven by what many near him called ‘impractical dreams.’

Mahesh originally studied engineering. In 2006, he established an innovation centre with some friends where he designed cable cars and drew some structures by riverbanks. Even though the initial investment was high, the start-up proved unsustainable.

After that, his interest in science dwindled, and Mahesh decided to immerse himself in acting. Whenever he watched television dramas in his village in Kaski Kot, he felt a surge of excitement. The scenes, characters, and stories ignited a passion in him. “I was enchanted by the glamour of being a hero,” he says, adding that despite such desires, he struggled with his self-confidence.

Mahesh’s first theatre performance took place when he was in the sixth grade at Kalika Secondary School. It was in a play written by his father, and he played the role of a desperate supporter of a politician. After the performance, his friends and mentors spoke highly of his acting. Due to such encouraging words, he was actively involved in acting during his school days and received much appreciation for his performances.

This hunger for acting manifested into his adulthood as well. In Kathmandu, he played in some television shows during the first two years.

However, he says that meeting with directors and people from the acting field proved to be quite challenging. “Once I managed to convince a director to take me to the shooting location,” he says. That’s where he got the idea of what filming was like. Eventually, he spent time at shooting locations distributing water to actors and holding umbrellas for them. “I observed and learned acting by watching and practising,” he says.

Afterwards, Mahesh received an offer to act in a serial, which he accepted gracefully. However, after three serials gigs, he began to feel a sense of dissatisfaction. “What I was doing in the serials felt very ordinary; it didn’t match the calibre I wanted to display on screen.”

To improve his acting skills, Mahesh enrolled in Oscar College to study films while continuing to pursue acting. After completing his studies, he took up a job at the college. Slowly, film scripts started coming to him—not for roles but for reviews. Mahesh felt as though was stuck reviewing films in which he couldn’t act in. This led him to a state of extreme disappointment. “I couldn’t sleep and longed for company. Nights were scary, and I felt restless,” he says.

His saving grace came to him five years ago as the script for ‘Halkara.’ It was given to him by Bikram Sapkota, who later directed the film. Mahesh read the script thoroughly and was intrigued by the story. “After reading the script, I thought it was the only way that I could get out of despair,” he recalls.

Mahesh decided to fully invest himself in his character as the postman. As his character chewed tobacco, he started doing the same. “I’d never chewed tobacco in my life, but I did it for the character,” he says. However, he quit the habit after the filming ended. “My throat became so dry that I initially believed I had wounded my lungs,” he says.

Post ‘Halkara,’ his hunger for acting has only increased. He feels as though he is now more energetic and creative than ever before. However, he also admits that he doesn’t want to work in just any script that comes his way. He believes in joining morality with professionalism in his endeavours. “I don’t want to work on easy projects. I prefer something that requires real dedication,” he says.