Vasan Bala recalls quitting Gangs of Wasseypur after intense fight with Anurag Kashyap: ‘We were shouting, Piyush Mishra asked us to…’

Vasan Bala recounted a heated argument with Anurag Kashyap that led him to quit Gangs of Wasseypur.

Chennai | December 24, 2024 11:51 AM IST

3 min read

Vasan Bala recalls his fight with Anurag Kashyap. (Pic: Vasan, Anurag/Instagram)

Filmmaker Vasan Bala recently opened up about his experience as an assistant director in Anurag Kashyap’s iconic film series Gangs of Wasseypur. The Jigra director recounted a heated argument with Anurag that led him to quit the film. However, he also praised Anurag’s humility, revealing that the filmmaker ensured he had work after leaving Gangs of Wasseypur, despite their intense disagreement.

In a conversation with casting director Mukesh Chhabra on Mashable India, Vasan recalled how actor Piyush Mishra, who played a pivotal role in Gangs of Wasseypur, intervened during their argument. He shared, “After shooting for 50 days, me and Anurag sir fought. We were fighting in the car and I remember Piyush Mishra asked to stop the car and asked us to get down. We were shouting so much in the car that Piyush bhai got frustrated with us. So, we sat down quietly in the car but I thought that I should now go on my own path.”

However, Vasan revealed that his next opportunity came because of Anurag. He explained,, “But Anurag has a big heart and though I was leaving Gangs of Wasseypur, he made sure that I got work somewhere else. The next film that I was suppose to work after Wasseypur, I got it through Anurag only. When I was quitting Wasseypur, Michael Winterbottom had sent an email to Anurag and he wanted someone to assist him on Trishna. Michael asked if I would agree to assist him. Anurag told me about the email and asked me if I will work with Michel and I of course agreed.”

During the conversation, Vasan spoke about Anurag’s larger-than-life presence on the sets of Gangs of Wasseypur. “On Anurag’s set there was this feel that a rockstar is coming. We used to see him like that. He had that aura. He wrote Satya, Black Friday.” Vasan admitted that working with Anurag left him feeling intimidated, often questioning whether he could ever become a director like him. However, after working with Michael Winterbottom, he realised the importance of being authentic and telling his own story.

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Vasan’s last directorial venture was Jigra, starring Alia Bhatt. While the film underperformed at the box office, it received critical acclaim. The project was jointly produced by Alia Bhatt and Karan Johar.

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