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Bollywood is sometimes much more than its glitter and glamour. The behind-the-scenes stories can often be more intriguing than the films themselves. Recently, filmmaker Hansal Mehta shared such a story from the struggling days of two living cinematic legends — Manoj Bajpayee, Anurag Kashyap.
Anurag Kashyap’s Race Against Rent
In the mid-90s, Manoj Bajpayee and Hansal Mehta discussed film ideas at Manoj’s Mumbai flat. Hansal recalled, “We were discussing ideas. Baat karte karte woh so gaya.” (He went to sleep while talking).
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. A young man showed up, introducing himself as a huge fan of Hansal’s film Highway. “Ek aadmi aaya… maine bola Manoj bhaiya so rahe hai… wo bolta main aapse milna chahta tha… Highway dekhi thi, paagal ho gaya, bada fan hu… aapko dhund raha hu kabse, (A guy came… I told him, “Manoj bhaiya is sleeping.” He said, “I actually wanted to meet you… I watched Highway, I went crazy, I’m a big fan… I’ve been looking for you for a long time)” Hansal recalled. (via Indian Express)
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That stranger was none other than Anurag Kashyap. During the conversation, Anurag mentioned that he could write too. Hansal asked him if he could pen a script for his film idea. Anurag, ever straightforward, replied: “Sir main likh lunga, mujhe Rs 15,000 chahiye, mera three months ka rent hai. ( Sir, I’ll write it down, I just need ₹15,000 — it’s my rent for three months)”
And like clockwork, just 48 hours later, Anurag Kashyap returned with a completed 350-page script — “Usne 48 hours mein mujhe screenplay de diya kyunki usko paise chahiye the,( He gave me the screenplay in 48 hours because he needed the money)” Hansal recalled. The script later became the film Jayate, and Anurag was paid Rs 75,000 for it.
