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The making of Gangs of Wasseypur by Anurag Kashyap was not easy, from initially being nearly shelved to facing objections over casting Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Despite challenges, the film became a cult classic in Hindi cinema. The director recently revealed how the producers backed out just three days before shooting began because they didn’t believe Nawazuddin Siddiqui could carry off the role of Faizal Khan in the movie. They wanted him replaced with a bigger star. However, Anurag vouched for Nawaz and even gave up his fees out of conviction.

Anurag Kashyap On Why Gangs Of Wasseypur Was Nearly Shelved

Anurag appeared on the YouTube channel Game Changers, where he opened up about the industry and process of filmmaking. Talking about his iconic 2012 movie Gangs of Wasseypur and how it was nearly shelved. He said, "I left my fees for the film. UTV was producing it, but they asked, ‘How will Nawaz play this role? Bring a big star.’ They left the project three days before shooting began. My whole crew and actors were waiting for me."

Anurag credited co-producer Sunil Bora for rescuing the project during its struggling moments by finding a new studio. In the interview, the filmmaker said, “At that time, co-producer Sunil Bora spoke to Viacom and within two days this new studio came in and told us to make the film. For the sake of conviction, I said that I will leave my fees, but I am vouching for Nawaz.”

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The filmmaker also recalled casting Pankaj Tripathi as Sultan Qureshi, a menacing butcher, who in real life, is a vegetarian. Anurag shared, "We were thinking of casting Pankaj Jha, but he had gone to Pune. I had seen Tripathi’s work. He’s a very soft-spoken man, but his eyes are dangerous. I made a vegetarian play a butcher."

Anurag admitted that the process was new for both him and Pankaj. He added, “Pankaj himself was very uncomfortable with it. Plus, my process was very new to him. He didn’t know what his role was and how it was shaping up. So, he was confused about what he’s doing. But he gave an excellent performance.”

ALSO READ: Zeishan Quadri Reveals He Wrote Gangs Of Wasseypur 2 But Never Got Paid: 'There Was No Money And I Didn’t...'

Earlier, Zeishan Quadri, who co-wrote the film, revealed that he was not paid for writing Gangs of Wasseypur 2. In an interviee with Siddharth Kannan, he stated, "I got Rs 5 lakh and I was told that I would be paid for part 2 but that didn’t happen. Because there was no money. One week before the shoot of the second part, UTV backed out saying we won’t make this film."

Gangs of Wasseypur, a film that began with production chaos, eventually became a cinematic revolution, redefining storytelling in Indian cinema. The film stars Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Pankaj Tripathi, Richa Chadha, Huma Qureshi, Jaideep Ahlawat, Rajkummar Rao and many more.

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