Explained: The Anurag Kashyap-Pankaj Jha Controversy

Anurag Kashyap and Pankaj Jha have been making headlines following allegations that the latter made statements against Anurag Kashyap and Pankaj Tripathi. It all started when Pankaj Jha was asked about the time he lost the role of Sultan in Gangs Of Wasseypur to Pankaj Tripathi. In an interview to Digital Commentary, the actor was asked, "Do you think this involved any internal politics?" To which he replied, "I stay unbothered of the politics. If I be affected by the politics then it would mean victory of the person who is doing the politics. Why would I let that happen? People who do politics are cowards."

"We are director-maker actors. If a film makes someone an actor, it also makes a director. But in this industry, we have so many cowards and spineless people who can't even place their opinion before others. Eventually, you get to understand that directors too are suffering without jobs," he said. Pankaj Jha's "spineless" comment did not go down well with a section of the Internet.

Prakash Jha had previously worked with Anurag Kashyap in films like Gulaal and Black Friday. However, in a recent interview with The Indian Express, the actor claimed that he never mentioned Pankaj Tripathi in any of his interviews. "I never mentioned the name of any Tripathi in any of my interviews so far. You can go listen to all of my interviews, you will know I haven't mentioned anybody's name at all. This is very childish thing to do. Why will I go talk all this to anybody? Media always needs masala, I never said any such thing, they just made it up. Becoming an actor is not the ultimate achievement. Just like how every actor wants to become a big star, several journalists also run behind fame. They make up stories to gain attention and recognition," Pankaj Jha told The Indian Express.

Pankaj Jha maintained that both Pankaj Tripathi and Anurag Kashyap are his "friends." The Indian Express quoted Pankaj Jha as saying, "This news makes no sense. He (Pankaj Tripathi) is a very good friend of mine. We have worked together in films. He is my junior after all. He came much later, while I have been in films for a long time. Similarly, Anurag Kashyap is a friend. He is like a brother to me. We have worked together in films Gulaal and Black Friday. Why will I go around talking ill about them?"

Pankaj Jha explained that his words were "twisted." He added, "All these news of me calling him spineless are all things twisted and made up. I don't have a control on who writes what. They keep making up stories for their own benefit. Journalists are trusted with a lot of responsibilities, they are expected to give us valuable news, news that can educate, inform, not twist statements for masala."

Now, Anurag Kashyap has reacted to Pankaj Jha's controversial comment in an interview with India Today. "I don't remember what exactly happened. But we were shooting for The Girl In Yellow Boots and he had moved to Osho in Pune to paint. We were supposed to start shooting for Gangs of Wasseypur and he (Pankaj Jha) was not available. We were on a tight budget and could not wait for him. We made the film in a very different condition and budget. Now, he must be thinking after 20 years, he could have become Pankaj Tripathi," he said. The filmmaker added, "I have worked with him, and he has actually been my go-to actor. We worked in Gulaal and Black Friday. I would love to work with him again, but the fact is, he remains inaccessible."