Ranveer Singh was Anurag Kashyap’s choice for Bombay Velvet: ‘Studio wouldn’t give me money if I made the film with him’

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has weighed in on the insider-outsider debate in Bollywood. Anurag said that with the advancement of OTT platforms, there are a lot more opportunities for outsiders to prove their talent.

Anurag has even spoken about how Ranveer Singh suffered multiple rejections in his career, despite being dubbed an insider for his very distant connection with Anil Kapoor’s family. Anurag said that Ranveer had auditioned for Shaitan but was rejected. He even wanted to make Bombay Velvet with him but the studios threatened to back out if he did.

Speaking to journalist Faye D’Souza, Anurag said, “However much people call him an insider because of some remote connection, from two generations before, the man has struggled. Ranveer Singh was rejected in an audition in Shaitan. Ranveer Singh is an actor who when I wanted to cast him in Bombay Velvet, I had a tough time. My studios and nobody believed in me and told me they will not give me money if I made the film with him. So even that Ranveer Singh, that I know two personal stories of my own production that rejected him, he is a star today.”

Actor Ranbir Kapoor was ultimately brought on as the lead in Bombay Velvet opposite Anushka Sharma. The film proved to be a flop at the box office and was also widely panned by critics.

Anurag also talked about how he and Kangana Ranaut had fought nepotism early in their careers. “See nepotism was a debate of 2000, the early decade. Right now, with OTT coming into the picture, that debate is pointless. There are much more opportunities on OTT, there are much more outsiders coming in. That was the time I fought that battle. When me and Kangana were friends and were like ‘We will do this film’. How many people believed in Queen? Nobody did. We went down and fought that battle. This industry was about supporting their people, like any other business,” he said.

Also read: Sunny Leone shares cryptic post after Kangana Ranaut drags her into spat with Urmila Matondkar: ‘People who don’t know you have the most to say’

Anurag and Kangana have been at loggerheads lately for their opposing views on Bollywood’s drug abuse issue, politics, nationalism and more. Recently, when Kangana talked about she was a warrior, ready to serve her country, Anurag joked that she should fight with the troops against China. Kangana, in turn, called him a fool for not understanding her metaphor.

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