Anurag Kashyap was writing a film for Manoj Bajpayee after the success of his two-part epic Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) but he had to abandon the project after hitting a roadblock, says the actor, who shares a close friendship with the director that dates back to their first commercial hit Satya in 1998.
The Ramgopal Varma-directed film, which Anurag wrote, launched Manoj into stardom as Bhiku Mhatre. They went on to work on Kaun? (1999) and Shool (1999) but misunderstandings kept them from working together for several years.
Years later, Anurag and Manoj reunited for Gangs of Wasseypur.
"There was too much misunderstanding, which got cleared up only after we decided to work on Gangs of Wasseypur. But it was a loss not only for both of us but also for our audience because we could really create a lot of magic together. We understood each other, we were just right for each other, and Gangs of Wasseypur proved it right," Manoj told PTI in an interview.
But it has been thirteen years since Wasseypur, did they not discuss another collaboration? "We were discussing a film very seriously. But Anurag being Anurag, he is very unpredictable, and I accept him in all of his flaws, that's the kind of relationship I've with him. He realised that he is not being able to do justice to it as a writer, so we stopped," the actor said.
Manoj has not lost hope about Anurag starting the project again but wouldn't actively follow its development.
"Let's see, one fine morning he will get up and he will have his script. I don't put any pressure on him at all. He is that kind of a person who is never easy with compulsions whether emotional, physical or financial." Now Anurag has turned presenter for Manoj’s new project Jugnuma, which has been directed by Raam Reddy.
"He saw the film at the New York Film festival, and he was blown away by the film. And he decided to support the film, and put his name on the poster. He got a few of the exciting filmmakers, big names from South India like Vetri Maaran, Nag Ashwin, Lijo (Jose Pellissery). All of them have seen the film and they have lent their names to it. This just tells you about the beauty of the film, and what a magical story Jugnuma is," Manoj said.
According to him, Anurag single handedly mentored many independent films by putting his might behind the filmmakers.
"He is a very courageous guy. There are flip sides to him, there is always a dark phase that he goes through, but that's his personality. I personally feel that he can't create without chaos. So, his chaos is a positive indication to me that he is going to come up with something really fantastic,” he said. Asked if there was something that he disliked about Anurag’s personality that he has not shared with his friend, Manj said the filmmaker thrives in chaos, while he himself is highly organised.
"There are very few things that I dislike about him, like he is not tidy enough. He should be, but he refuses to be tidy. His place is always scattered, and he doesn't like anyone to clean it. I'm a person who is very organised, so I find it very unsettling when I enter his house," Manoj said.
Jugnuma, which is titled The Fable in English, is set to release in theatres this Friday.
