Imtiaz Ali says it was a ‘mistake’ to act in Black Friday on Anurag Kashyap’s insistence: ‘Vo merko zaleel karna chahta tha’

Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali revealed that Anurag Kashyap's initial dream was to become an actor, not a filmmaker. He also shared how Anurag convinced him to play a small part in Black Friday.

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | October 15, 2023 03:51 PM IST

4 min read

Imtiaz Ali opened up on his relationship with Anurag Kashyap. (Pic: Varinder Chawla)

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Imtiaz Ali, known for his directorial ventures, had a lesser-known but pivotal role in Anurag Kashyap’s Black Friday, where he portrayed the character of Yakub Memon. During a recent interview, Imtiaz opened up about his close friendship with Anurag, which dates back to their days at Delhi University. He also unveiled an interesting facet of Anurag’s ambitions, revealing that his initial dream was to become an actor, not a filmmaker. Imtiaz also shared the reason he agreed to play a role in Anurag’s film.

Reflecting on Anurag’s earnest desire to be an actor, Imtiaz told Lallantop, “Anurag banana actor chahta tha. I saw a portfolio for the first time when Anurag showed me his. I didn’t know that I would become a director one day and I would see a lot of portfolios but the first portfolio I saw was of Anurag. He has his pictures showing muscles. He came to me because I was a part of the production team of a TV show that was going to be shot at DU. The first person who came to me to ask for a role was Anurag. He was at Hansraj College, I was at Hindu College. He found me in my hostel and showed me his portfolio. I was like this man is so serious about his work that he got so many pictures clicked from every angle.”

While it was Imtiaz who was supposed to direct Anurag, the tables turned when Anurag came to the Jab We Met filmmaker for a role in Black Friday.

Speaking about his reluctant decision to appear on Black Friday, Imtiaz confessed, “Everybody makes mistake when they are young. I made the mistake of listening to him. We spent a lot of time together. We lived together in the same building. I wrote the first scene of Black Friday, we used to be really involved in each other’s work. I don’t know what he was thinking when he told me to do the role of Yakub Memon. I think this was his stubbornness, vo merko zaleel karna chahta hoga (he wanted to embarrass me). He told me, ‘Mein apke liye jaan de sakta hu, aap mere liye role nahi kar sakte (I can give mey life for you, you can’t play a role for me).’ He told me with this much emotion only because he is, after all, a struggling actor (laughs). He was acting at that time also.”

The filmmaker revealed that it was Anurag who asked him to not cut his hair as he wanted him to shoot some more scenes in the film. And after that the filmmaker never cut his hair short. “This is why I have long hair now,” said Imtiaz.

Also read | From cameos to compelling characters: Meet Anurag Kashyap the actor

Black Friday marked Anurag Kashyap’s second directorial venture after Paanch, and he also wrote the film. Inspired by Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts, a book by Hussain Zaidi detailing the 1993 Bombay bombings, the film delves into the events leading up to the bombings and the subsequent police investigation.

In 2004, a stay was put on the film’s release. After three years of battle in the court, it was released in theatres in India and received widespread critical acclaim. It featured an ensemble cast including actors Pawan Malhotra, Kay Kay Menon, Aditya Srivastava, Kishor Kadam, and Zakir Hussain in prominent roles.

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