JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
EXCLUSIVE: Hansal Mehta recalls Anurag Kashyap saying ‘uske liye ek rupaya nahi mil raha’ for Rajkummar Rao; reveals he didn’t want to meet him for Shahid
In a recent chat with Pinkvilla, Hansal Mehta recalled how he cast Rajkummar Rao as Shahid in just 10 minutes. Read on to know the full story here!
Shahid, the critically acclaimed biographical drama, turned out to be a defining milestone in Rajkummar Rao’s acting career, establishing him as one of the most talented performers in Bollywood. In an exclusive conversation with Pinkvilla, filmmaker Hansal Mehta revealed the fascinating story behind casting Rao in the lead role. He shared how he was initially hesitant to meet the actor, but Anurag Kashyap insisted, saying, “Yaar, uske liye ek rupaya nahi mil raha hai mujhe."
In a candid recollection, filmmaker Hansal Mehta shared that he had once approached Anurag Kashyap, requesting to attach his name to the film Shahid in order to lend it some credibility, as Mehta felt he lacked it at the time.
Kashyap readily agreed, calling it “payback time” for the support Mehta had given him during his early days. He assured Mehta that he could use his name and expressed confidence that he would excel, especially because he was driven by passion and anger.
Listen to the full interview here!
The Scam 1992 director shared, "Phir Anurag said, ‘Sir, yeh sab mat pado, yeh sab chakkaron mein… yeh star logon ke chakkaron mein. Ek actor Rajkummar Rao hai, mil lo. Mere saath kar raha hai Gangs of Wasseypur, kiya hai usne. Mil lo.’ (Sir, don't get into all this... don't get caught up in these star-related circles. There's an actor named Rajkummar Rao — meet him. He's working with me on Gangs of Wasseypur, he's already done it. Just meet him).”
He recalled that Anurag had said that he wasn’t even getting a single rupee for the actor, adding that the actor had worked in Love Sex Aur Dhokha, Gangs of Wasseypur, and had a scene in Shaitan. He further mentioned that Mukesh Chhabra had insisted, urging him to meet the actor.
Hansal then shared, "Main bola, ‘Milke kya karun main?’ Toh ek din usse phone kiya ki, ‘Yaar mil lo, please. Chai pee lo uske saath. Bas usko bhej dena wapas.’ Bole, ‘Theek hai, main batata hoon kab.’ ("What should I do after meeting him?" Then one day, I called him and said, "Hey, meet him, please. Have tea with him. Just send him back afterward." He replied, "Okay, I'll tell you when.)
He mentioned that he insisted on meeting Rajkummar immediately, as he was waiting outside the office. To his surprise, Rajkummar walked in and sat down right in front of him, which he described as a significant moment.
He further shared that within 10 minutes, he stepped outside and informed his wife, saying that he had found the actor for Shahid.
He also told Raj that he would be the one to play Shahid in the film, stating that now they had to figure out how to make the film. He emphasized that Raj had to help him in the process, and they would figure out how to bring the film to life.
Latest Articles
