Film director Anurag Kashyap has reacted to actor Ranveer Singh’s remark that he was dropped from Bombay Velvet after being offered the project. In a new interview, Anurag disagreed with Ranveer’s reason why he was not a part of the film. Anurag also said that the film ‘should have been made at the budget it was intended at’.
Ranveer spoke about Bombay Velvet during his appearance on Koffee With Karan season 7. Ranveer said, “I was not rejected, K (Karan Johar). I was unceremoniously dropped because at the time I couldn’t justify the budget. My star value wasn’t high. But things have changed.”
In an interview with Pinkvilla, Anurag was asked if he wanted to make a big commercial film after Bombay Velvet. He replied, “Films don’t go as wrong as my choices of budget go. That film should have been made at the budget it was intended at. That didn’t happen and nobody is to be blamed except me because I didn’t fight for that enough. We were in a transitional phase and I used to listen to those who call them the experts of the industry. The film was made just like every expert asked it to be made. Every big expert failed collectively. They failed along with me.”
“After very long, Ranveer Singh revealed that he was also offered the movie and that he was dropped from the project because he would not be able to generate enough money. Interestingly, he is making movies with the very same people from the industry. So it’s not like that. This industry is a weird place. Consequences are mine and that’s why I went to make films in a controlled budget where no one loses money. I don’t want to make a blockbuster and I am not competing with anyone. The idea should be big and the film should be made in a controlled budget. The film becoming big is not in your hands,” he added.
Bombay Velvet (2015), a crime thriller, was directed by Anurag. It stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Karan Johar, and Vicky Kaushal among others. The film was made on a budget of ₹120 crore and grossed around ₹23 crore in the first week. It opened to negative reviews and wasn’t a commercial success.