Even though Anurag Kashyap has been responsible for some great films throughout his career, for many, Gangs of Wasseypur will forever remain his magnum opus. Stacked with undeniable talent and an engaging story, Wasseypur changed the game for the director and for everyone else involved with the film. In a recent interview, Rajkummar Rao, who played the role of Shamshad in the film, talked about how the initial pitch for the movie had him at the centre of the entire conflict alongside Nawaz, but as the scripting process moved forward, his character was sidelined.
While promoting his new film Maalik, Rajkummar told Pinkvilla about the experience of working with Anurag and how that film changed the trajectory of his career. He said, “I hadn’t worked for a while when Anurag sir called me for Gangs of Wasseypur. Initially the story was between me and Nawaz, and the entire movie revolved around the two characters. I was very excited, and I thought playing a parallel lead in such a movie would be great.”
But he also shared the story of how the film was supposed to revolve around him and Nawaz, but the script ended up being very different from what he had imagined. “One day Anurag sir called me to the office to discuss the script, and then he suddenly told me that ‘script agayi hai, par tera role zyada bacha nahi hai‘ (‘The script is here, but you don’t have much of a role’). He asked me what I wanted to do, and of course I felt a little bad. We had travelled so much in order to prepare for the role, and now this was happening. But I still told him that I wanted to work with him no matter how small the role was, and I am glad I made that decision.”
Rajkummar admitted that he had put a lot of work into the role, and he and Nawaz travelled to Wasseypur by train in order to understand the backdrop of the story better. “Me and Nawaz actually went to Wasseypur, and we even stayed there for a while. I used to record people on my recorder so that I could listen to it later and practise the accent,” added Rajkummar. Even though Rajkummar’s role was cut, he delivered an impactful performance and was able to hold his own among other talented actors.
His latest film, Maalik, released on July 11 and has been directed by Pulkit. The cast of the film includes Rajkummar, Swanand Kirkire, Manushi Chhillar, Saurabh Shukla, and Huma Qureshi.
