Manoj Bajpayee on why Anurag Kashyap didn't work with him for years: He didn't need me, my career was going down
Anurag Kashyap served as a writer on Manoj Bajpayee's films Satya (1998) and Shool (1999), before directing him in Gangs of Wasseypur in 2012.
Manoj Bajpayee and Anurag Kashyap go a long way back. But there was a long lull, from 2000 till 2011, when the duo didn't work with each other. In an interview with Bollywood Bubble, the actor has now revealed the reason behind the same. (Also Read: Manoj Bajpayee reveals if there will be a crossover between his The Family Man 3 and Shahid Kapoor's Farzi 2)
What Manoj said
“There was a misunderstanding about one thing, and we didn’t talk about it. Now it has become so big on social media that sometimes when embarrassment occurs, things are exaggerated. We didn’t talk because I felt, he wasn’t making films of my type, and he also felt that there was no need for Manoj Bajpayee right now because his career was going down. So both of us were enjoying our lives separately, he didn’t need me, and I didn’t need him,” said Manoj.
Manoj and Anurag's collaborations
The two first worked together in Ram Gopal Varma's 1998 cult thriller Satya, in which Anurag served as a writer and Manoj played the popular lead role of Bhiku Mhatre. After the success of Satya, they reunited next year for Shool, another action crime drama directed by Ram Gopal Varma. However, post that, Manoj and Anurag didn't team up for 11 years.
They came back together with Anurag's 2012 cult crime epic Gangs of Wasseypur, where Manoj played the memorable role of Sardar Khan. They haven't reunited since and have gone their separate paths again.
Manoj will be next seen in Bhaiyya Ji, a rustic action drama which will reunite him with his Sirf Ek Banda Kafi Hai director Apoorv Singh Karki. It will release this Friday on May 24. He'll also be seen in the films, Despatch and The Fable. Manoj will also reprise his role of spy Shrikant Tiwari in season 3 of Raj & DK's Prime Video India espionage drama The Family Man.
Meanwhile, Anurag is gearing up for the release of his crime drama Kennedy, starring Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival last year. He's now filming his next, starring Bobby Deol and Sanya Malhotra among others.