Director Anurag Kashyap recently opened up about his professional relationship with the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput in an interview with NDTV.
Apparently, Anurag offered Sushant two films but Rajput chose to work elsewhere, with bigger banners instead.
Anurag goes on to say, “Sushant was very successful. You make your career based on your choices, not on your talent. Aap kya choose karte ho, aap kiske saath kaam karte ho, woh aapka career banata hai (What you choose and who you choose to work with, makes your career). Sushant was super successful and made choices himself.”
The director apparently met Sushant right after finishing the casting of Gangs of Wasseypur. “Mukesh Chhabra used to operate from my office. Sushant aaya, maine kaha, ‘Yaar, tu Bihar ka ladka hai. Mujhe pehle milta toh main tujhe film mein kaam de deta (When Sushant came to meet him, I said, ‘Oh, you are from Bihar. If I had met you earlier, I would have given you a role in the film),’” Kashyap continued.
However, as per Anurag’s remarks, Sushant eventually went on to make a three-film deal with Yash Raj Films even though Anurag had cast Sushant in his production Hasee Toh Phasee.
“YRF called him and said, ‘We’ll give you a deal. You do Shuddh Desi Romance.’ Sushant, who used to sit in my office with Mukesh and all of us used to sit together, signed up with YRF and dropped Hasee Toh Phasee, a film of an outsider because usko validation YRF ka chahiye tha (he wanted validation from YRF). It’s with every actor, so I am not holding any grudges,” stated Anurag.
“Years later, in 2016, before the release of MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, Mukesh went to Sushant and said, ‘Anurag has written a script looking for an actor who can play someone based out of Uttar Pradesh.’ Dhoni released, became a success and he never called me back. I was not upset, I moved on, I did Mukkabaaz,” the director continued.
“That validation you are seeking, and one can’t blame you. It’s a choice you have made but you also have to deal with this. The boy was very talented but at that time, he chose Drive over a film that I was doing because he was dying to work with Dharma.” Anurag also mentions how new actors or outsider who enter the film industry seek validation from big banners.
Source: Hindustan Times