Rajkummar Rao reveals his Gangs of Wasseypur role was once parallel to Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s lead

Rajkummar Rao, currently promoting his upcoming film Maalik, recently reflected on an early career moment that left a lasting impression. In an interview with Pinkvilla, the actor spoke about how his part in Gangs of Wasseypur—which was initially pitched as a parallel lead with Nawazuddin Siddiqui—was drastically cut down.

Rao shared that filmmaker Anurag Kashyap had initially approached him with a much larger role in Wasseypur. “Anurag sir called me for Gangs of Wasseypur. At that time, the story was supposed to revolve around me and Nawaz,” Rajkummar recalled. Excited, he threw himself into prep, travelling with Nawaz and writer Zeeshan Qadri to the real Wasseypur to get the dialect right. “We stayed there for a while. I recorded local people on my voice recorder to understand their accent and environment. It was a lot of fun,” he said.

But things changed. While working on patchwork for Ragini MMS, Rajkummar got a call from Kashyap asking him to visit his office. There, Kashyap informed him that his role had been significantly trimmed. “He said the script is ready but there’s not much left of your part. I’d still love to have you in the film, but you decide,” Rao recalled.

Though hurt, Rajkummar decided to go ahead. “I told him, Sir, I want to work with you. I don’t care how big or small the role is.”

Looking back, Rao admitted that it did sting. “Of course, I felt bad. I didn’t know how much had been cut. We had taken a train, travelled for three days, and returned the same way. No one had money. But it was okay—as long as I was getting work.”

He also acknowledged that despite the setback, Kashyap had supported him in other ways. “He recommended me to Hansal Mehta for Shahid, which changed my life,” Rao added.

The actor, now known for roles in films like Newton, Trapped, and Stree, says those early struggles shaped his outlook. Maalik, in which he plays a gangster, is set to hit theatres on July 11. The journey may not have always been smooth, but as Rao proves, even a shortened role can open the right doors.