Anurag Kashyap responds to Pankaj Jha's ‘spineless’ remark for replacing him with Pankaj Tripathi in Gangs of Wasseypur

Pankaj Jha appeared in Anurag Kashyap's films Gulaal and Black Friday. The actor recently starred in Jitendra Kumar's show, Panchayat.

Anurag Kashyap is known for his outspoken and honest views on cinema and society. He was recently called ‘spineless’ and accused by Pankaj Jha for giving the character of Sultan in Gangs of Wasseypur to Pankaj Tripathi. Pankaj (Jha) claimed that Anurag had initially promised the role to him. In an interview with India Today, the filmmaker responded to the Panchayat actor's statement and said the latter is always unapproachable. (Also read: Panchayat's Vidhayak Ji accuses Pankaj Tripathi of glamourising 'struggle')

Anurag Kashyap reacted to Pankaj Jha's claims about not casting him in Gangs of Wasseypur.

Anurag Kashyap reacts to Pankaj Jha's 'spineless' remark

Anurag, while recalling the incident, said, “I don’t remember what exactly happened. But we were shooting for The Girl in Yellow Boots and he had moved to Osho in Pune to paint. We were supposed to start shooting for Gangs of Wasseypur and he (Pankaj Jha) was not available. 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 further said, “I have worked with him, and he has actually been my go-to actor. We worked in Gulaal and Black Friday. I would love to work with him again, but the fact is, he is not accessible at all.”

About Anurag Kashyap

Anurag made his directorial debut with Paanch, which was never released. His second film, Black Friday, also faced release delays due to its depiction of the 1993 Mumbai blasts and the socio-political atmosphere of that time. The filmmaker gained immense popularity with films like Gulaal, Dev D, Gangs of Wasseypur - 1 and 2, Mukkabaaz, Manmarziyaan, and Dobaara. However, his crime action-thriller series Sacred Games reached a larger audience upon its release on Netflix. The show was based on Vikram Chandra's novel of the same name.

Anurag will be next seen as an antagonist in a new web show, Bad Cop. also starring Gulshan Deviah. He is also playing a negative role in Vijay Sethupathi's Maharaja. His upcoming directorial Kennedy was screened at the Cannes Film Festival 2023.