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A couple of days ago, ‘Manikarnika’ actor Kangana Ranaut alleged in an interview with Hindustan Times that filmmaker Karan Johar offered Sushant Singh Rajput ‘Drive’ and then ensured it never released in theatres just to prove that Sushant was a ‘flop star’. She also claimed that Karan’s ‘childhood friend’ Aditya Chopra made Sushant sign a contract that restricted him from taking up any project without their consent.
But, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap recently said that Sushant used to choose his own films. Hindustan Times quoted him saying, “Sushant was very successful. You make your career based on your choices, not on your talent. Aap kya choose karte ho, aap kiske saath kaam karte ho, woh aapka career banata hai (What you choose and who you choose to work with, makes your career). Sushant was super successful and made choices himself.”
He also divulged that he had offered Sushant two films, however, he chose ‘Drive’ over his films as the actor wanted ‘validation’ from big banners like Yash Raj Films (YRF), Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions among others.
Anurag further added that he was to cast Sushant in his movie ‘Hasee Toh Phasee’ alongside Parineeti Chopra. But Sushant somehow ended up talking to YRF and signed a three-film deal with them and dropped his film.
“YRF called him and said, ‘We’ll give you a deal. You do ‘Shuddh Desi Romance’.’ Sushant, who used to sit in my office with Mukesh and all of us used to sit together, signed up with YRF and dropped ‘Hasee Toh Phasee’, a film of an outsider because usko validation YRF ka chahiye tha (he wanted validation from YRF). It’s with every actor, so I am not holding any grudges,” Anurag said.
Anurag had also offered Sushant another film in 2016 but Sushant never responded on it. “Years later, in 2016, before the release of ‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story’, Mukesh Chhabra (casting director) went to Sushant and said, ‘Anurag has written a script looking for an actor who can play someone based out of Uttar Pradesh.’ Dhoni released, became a success and he never called me back. I was not upset, I moved on, I did ‘Mukkabaaz’.” Kashyap adds that newcomers who enter Bollywood often look for opportunities to seek validation from the big guns of the industry.
“That validation you are seeking and one can’t blame you. It’s a choice you have made but you also have to deal with this.”
“The boy was very talented but at that time, he chose ‘Drive’ over a film that I was doing because he was dying to work with Dharma,” he said.
Recalling the old days, Anurag says that he met Sushant after her had finished casting for ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’. “Mukesh Chhabra used to operate from my office. Sushant aaya, maine kaha, ‘Yaar, tu Bihar ka ladka hai. Mujhe pehle milta toh main tujhe film mein kaam de deta (When Sushant came to meet him, I said, ‘Oh, you are from Bihar. If I had met you earlier, I would have given you a role in the film).’” He then introduced Sushant to filmmaker Abhishek Kapoor, who cast him in ‘Kai Po Che!’
Yesterday, several B-town celebs paid tribute to the late actor and shared candlelit pictures on social media. May Sushant rest in peace!
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