Pankaj Jha takes a dig at Anurag Kashyap over Gangs of Wasseypur snub: Timid & Spineless

Anurag Kashyap's directorial venture, Gangs of Wasseypur, stands out as a milestone in his career. Released in two parts, GOW and GOW 2, the film boasted an ensemble cast including Manoj Bajpayee, Richa Chadha, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Huma Qureshi, Pankaj Tripathi, Tigmanshu Dhulia, and Rajkummar Rao.

Among the film’s many memorable characters, Sultan Qureshi remains a standout, brought to life by Pankaj Tripathi. However, Tripathi wasn't the original choice for this role. Initially, Pankaj Jha was selected to play Sultan Qureshi, but he was eventually replaced. Recently, Jha, known for his role in Panchayat: Season 3, shared his thoughts on this switch during an interview on the podcast Digital Commentary.

When asked if politics played a part in his replacement and if securing the role in GOW would have altered his career trajectory, Jha expressed his indifference to behind-the-scenes manipulations. 

He remarked, "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."

Reflecting on his past collaborations with Anurag Kashyap and the impact of the GOW incident on their relationship, Jha described himself as a 'director-making actor'. He critiqued Kashyap for allegedly being 'timid' and 'spineless' during that period. He said, "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."

Addressing Kashyap’s situation directly, Jha 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."

Well, the latest release Panchayat season 3 has brought loads of applauds for the actor who plays Vidhayak in the series.