Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has responded to actor Pankaj Jha’s recent statements about him.
In an interview, Pankaj had called the director “spinless” for not keeping his word and casting him in Gangs of Wasseypur for the role of Sultan Qureshi, eventually played by Pankaj Tripathi.
The actor claimed to have informed him that he was in the middle of a shoot, and would return in a day or two, but later found out that Pankaj Tripathi had already been cast in his place.
Now he may be thinking after 20 years, he could have become Pankaj Tripathi,” he said.
The actor claimed he “never mentioned” the name of “any Tripathi” in any of his interviews so far.
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has responded to actor Pankaj Jha’s recent statements about him. In an interview, Pankaj had called the director “spinless” for not keeping his word and casting him in Gangs of Wasseypur for the role of Sultan Qureshi, eventually played by Pankaj Tripathi. Jha, who is currently earning acclaim for his performance as Vidhayak in the latest season of Panchayat, had claimed that he was filming in Patna when Kashyap reached out to him for a role in Gangs of Wasseypur. The actor claimed to have informed him that he was in the middle of a shoot, and would return in a day or two, but later found out that Pankaj Tripathi had already been cast in his place.
In an interview with India Today, Kashyap recalled the timeline of events and revealed that when he was shooting for his 2010 film, The Girl in Yellow Boots, Jha had moved to an Osho retreat in Pune. “We were on a tight budget and could not wait for him. We made the film in a very different condition and budget. Now he may be thinking after 20 years, he could have become Pankaj Tripathi,” he said.
Also Read | Anurag Kashyap responds to Abhay Deol’s accusations about ‘glorifying’ toxic behaviour in Dev D: ‘Those who point fingers should introspect’ In an interview with Digital Commentary, Pankaj Jha had called himself a “director-making actor,” and took jabs at Kashyap. “While films like Satya and Gulaal create actors, they also make directors. But there are so many timid and spineless people here that they can’t even keep their word,” he said with a smirk. “Later, I found out that the director himself was in a bad situation, getting no work, and was doing 36 different jobs on this project.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pankaj Jha (@realpankajjha) Jha and Kashyap have previously worked on films like Black Friday and Gulaal. The filmmaker said that Jha is an inaccessible person. “He has actually been my go-to actor… I would love to work with him again, but the fact is, he is not accessible at all,” Kashyap said. Advertisement In a recent interview with Indianexpress.com, Jha clarified his statement and said he was misquoted. The actor claimed he “never mentioned” the name of “any Tripathi” in any of his interviews so far. “You can go listen to all of my interviews, you will know I haven’t mentioned anybody’s name at all. This is very childish thing to do. Why will I go talk all this to anybody? Media always needs masala, I never said anything such, they just made it up. Becoming an actor is not the ultimate achievement. Just like how every actor wants to become a big star, similarly several journalists are also running behind fame. They make up stories to gain attention and recognition,” he said. On the work front, Anurag Kashyap is awaiting the release of Bad Cop. The Disney Plus Hotstar show, led by actor Gulshan Devaiah in a double role, features him as a gangster.
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