Anurag Kashyap says Javed Akhtar asked him if he has a problem making money after watching Mukkabaaz: ‘Aapko paise kamane se…’

“Javed saab ne ek baar meri film dekhi thi Mukkabaaz aur film ke end par unhone mujhe bola tha ki ‘Aapko paise kamane se dikkat hai kya? Kya ho jata agar woh hero jeet jata tha? Toh baaki toh sab sahi ja raha tha’ (Javed saab once watched my film Mukkabaaz, and at the end he told me, ‘Do you have a problem with making money? What would’ve gone wrong if the hero had just won in the end? Everything else was going so well.’)”

Kashyap, who has long admired the iconic screenwriting duo Salim-Javed, said that with his upcoming film Nishaanchi, he’s attempting something in the same spirit, an effort to recreate the kind of grand, emotional storytelling he grew up watching in their films. “For me, this film is a throwback to what I used to love about films as a kid, the ones that Salim-Javed wrote together. And for me, it is an attempt. My first validation I’ll seek from there, from those two, when they watch the film.”

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During the same conversation, Kashyap also reflected on his favourite screenplays by Salim-Javed. “They are plenty. Right from Zanjeer. They have rarely failed. And Deewaar is a fantastic screenplay, an extraordinary screenplay. For me, Deewaar and even Trishul, they both are great, great films.”

Anurag Kashyap’s next directorial venture, Nishaanchi, is set to release in theatres this Friday. The film also marks the big-screen debut of Aaishvary Thackeray.