Anurag Kashyap’s ‘alcoholism’ made Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal suffer, claims Vivek Agnihotri: ‘I also used to drink heavily…’

Vivek also confirmed his earlier claims about Anurag’s drinking habits: “Yes, I had talked about his drinking habits, and that’s the truth. But that doesn’t mean someone who drinks alcohol is a bad person. I never said Anurag is a bad guy.” In fact, Vivek also went onto praise Anurag’s cinematic legacy: “Anurag is a wonderful guy, Anurag’s contribution to Indian cinema is unprecedented. There can be only one Anurag Kashyap, there can never be two. When the history of cinema is written, people will remember his work.”

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However, he added: “But my film suffered because of his alcoholism. What’s wrong in saying that? I, too, used to drink heavily at one point, and many of my works suffered because of it. But there’s nothing bad in that. You have a past, you leave it behind, and move forward.” When asked about his previous claim that Anurag had handed off his work to Vikramaditya Motwane, something Anurag has again denied, Vivek stood by his statement:

“That’s also truth. You can ask the company that hired them. What more can I say? Around 300–400 people worked on that film, you can ask them as well. Ask the company who signed the contract with him. Why would a third writer come when two are already working? Only when one of the earlier writers isn’t able to do his work.”

The controversy first flared up in May, when in an interview with Digital Commentary, Vivek spoke at length about the impact Anurag’s drinking habits had on Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal: “Anurag was a heavy drinker back then, and he couldn’t be trusted. He brought Vikramaditya Motwane on board, who is a very talented guy. Gradually, he palmed off all the work to Vikram. But they had a different vision for the film, which didn’t match with mine. Ultimately, we were at loggerheads. The production house had a word with Anurag… He became difficult to handle, because only an alcoholic knows what an alcoholic goes through. It became a very big problem.”

In response, Anurag had taken to Instagram Stories to deny the allegations, writing: “Kitna jhootha hai yeh aadmi. Shooting London mein hui thi and I was in India.” (This man is such a liar. The shoot was in London, and I was in India.) He further added: “He didn’t want the script by Motwane or me. He wanted to make Lagaan of football and took his own writer to write that crappy script. Neither me nor Motwane went on the set ever.”

Both filmmakers are gearing up for major releases. Vivek Agnihotri’s The Bengal Files is set to hit theatres on September 5, while Anurag Kashyap’s Nishaanchi is scheduled for release on September 19.