PremiumAnurag Kashyap on actors turning down his films: Except Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte, Huma Qureshi, every actor has said, 'Mere career ka kya hoga?' to me
Anurag Kashyap revealed that many actors, after attaining success, are not keen to work with him.
Last Updated: 10.50 AM, Aug 31, 2023
Did you know Anurag Kashyap initially turned down a request from Haddi's first-time director, Akshay Ajay Sharma, to portray the film's antagonist? The filmmaker had told his protege that if he doesn't find anyone, he will do it. A few months later, Anurag was filming his role as the film's antagonist, opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui's lead character.
During an interaction with Mid Day, when asked what it was like to have a mentee direct him, the filmmaker said that Akshay had served as an AD on his other works, including Sacred Games (2017) and Manmarziyaan (2019). Since it wasn't Anurag's film, he was paying close attention to see if Akshay was following proper procedure. That's because the filmmaker enforced higher standards. The No Smoking helmer also joked that he was the greatest diva on the set. He cribbed a lot, asking Akshay, "Kya kara raha hai mujhse?" As so many members of the cast and crew have worked on Anurag's films, he felt like the papa, and they were all his children.
On his views on acting:
The filmmaker has become a familiar face on screen because of his frequent cameo roles. In 2011, he made his acting debut in the film Shagird. Since then, he has starred in the films Akira (2016), AK vs. AK (2020), and Ghoomketu (2020). But the director isn't a fan of appearing in front of the camera because actors have a different discipline, which he doesn't have. Anurag finds acting tedious.
He added that actors take pleasure in every step of the process, from the beginning to the end, and he doesn't. Currently, Anurag is feeling restless. Furthermore, he is concerned that a month's delay between shoots may cause him to either gain weight or become ill, causing him to lose weight, and regular self-care is essential for actors.
Actors hesitance to work with him:
Anurag, who is an eager storyteller, is a reluctant actor in this sense. When asked if any actor has ever been reluctant to appear in one of his films, the filmmaker said that despite the widespread belief that performers would jump at the chance to work with him, the director has said that he is frequently turned down for roles.
The filmmaker added that after they've established themselves, actors are hesitant to work with him on his project. One day, everyone aspires to achieve celebrity status, and actors-in-training often look to him as a mentor and friend. They say, "Sir, pata nahin yeh film chalegi ya nahin," when they've finally cracked the code. Anurag has heard this from every actor besides Nawazuddin, Huma Qureshi, and Radhika Apte.
Haddi is set to premiere on ZEE5.