Anurag Kashyap’s directorial venture, Gangs of Wasseypur, is one of the best films of his career. The film was released in two parts, GOW and GOW 2. Gangs of Wasseypur had an ensemble cast including Manoj Bajpayee, Richa Chadha, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Huma Qureshi, Pankaj Tripathi, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Rajkummar Rao and more.
Among many interesting characters, Sultan Qureshi is remembered to date. It was essayed by none other than Pankaj Tripathi. Tripathi was not the first choice for this role, in fact, Pankaj Jha was initially chosen to play Sultan Qureshi. However, Jha was eventually replaced. Pankaj Jha, who was recently featured in Panchayat: Season 3, took an indirect dig at Anurag Kashyap over what happened during the making of Gangs of Wasseypur.
Pankaj Jha talks about Gangs of Wasseypur
During a podcast interview with Digital Commentary, Pankaj Jha was asked whether the Gulaal actor being replaced in Gangs of Wasseypur was part of politics. He also quizzed if he had bagged GOW, then his career graph would differ.
In response to this, he stated, “I don’t care about the politics that happens behind my back. The person doing it wins only if it harms me. Those who engage in politics behind someone’s back are generally cowards, right? Otherwise, they would have come forward, upfront.”
Pankaj Jha takes an indirect dig at Anurag Kashyap
When asked about his previous collaborations with Anurag Kashyap in Gulaal and Black Friday and how the entire Gangs of Wasseypur incident impacted their bond, the actor called himself a ‘director-making actor’. He took a jibe at Kashyap for allegedly being ‘timid’ and ‘spineless’ back then.
“While films like Satya and Gulaal create actors, they also make directors. But there are so many timid and spineless people here that they can’t even keep their word,” Jha, who plays Vidhayak Ji in Panchayat, said.
Referring to Kashyap, he added, “Later, I found out that the director himself was in a bad situation, getting no work, and was doing 36 different jobs on this project.”
Pankaj Jha’s work front
Apart from Gulaal and Black Friday, Pankaj Jha has also worked in movies like Monsoon Wedding, Company, Haasil, Matrubhoomi, and Teen Patti. He was last seen in Gauraiya Live this year.
