Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Anurag Kashyap: Sushant chose Drive over a film that I was doing because he was dying to work with Dharma

Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide on 14th June 2020. The actor’s demise has started a debate about nepotism and how outsiders are cornered in the industry.

Recently, while talking to NDTV, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap spoke about how Sushant wanted to work with YRF and Dharma and chose their films over his. However, the filmmaker cleared that he had no grudges about it.


Kashyap revealed that he had offered Sushant, Hasee Toh Phasee (which was co-produced by Dharma Productions). But, the actor opted to sign a deal with YRF and did Shudh Desi Romance.

The filmmaker said, “YRF called him and said, ‘We’ll give you a deal. You do Shuddh Desi Romance.’ Sushant, who used to sit in my office with Mukesh and all of us used to sit together, signed up with YRF and dropped Hasee Toh Phasee, a film of an outsider because usko validation YRF ka chahiye tha (he wanted validation from YRF). It’s with every actor, so I am not holding any grudges.”

Kashyap stated that in 2016, he once again offered a film to Sushant, but the actor never called him back. Further, the filmmaker spoke about how outsiders seek validation from production houses like YRF, Dharma, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He said, “That validation you are seeking, and one can’t blame you. It’s a choice you have made but you also have to deal with this. The boy was very talented but at that time, he chose Drive over a film that I was doing because he was dying to work with Dharma.”

Meanwhile, Sushant Singh Rajput fans are excited about the last film of the actor, Dil Bechara, which will premiere on Disney+ Hotstar today.

More For You

Riz Ahmed’s 'Hamlet' trailer drops murder suspicion into a South Asian business dynasty

Riz Ahmed’s Hamlet trailer exposes a South Asian family empire in crisis

Youtube Screengrabs/Universal Pictures UK

Riz Ahmed’s 'Hamlet' trailer drops murder suspicion into a South Asian business dynasty

Highlights:

  • Hamlet trailer lands with Riz Ahmed in the lead role
  • Film sets Shakespeare inside a wealthy British South Asian family
  • Directed by Aneil Karia and in cinemas 6 February 2025
  • Cast includes Morfydd Clark, Joe Alwyn, Sheeba Chadha and Art Malik

Riz Ahmed has entered Hamlet in a way British cinema has not quite seen. The new Hamlet trailer has been released by Universal, giving the first proper look at Aneil Karia’s modern take on Shakespeare and placing the story inside a British South Asian business empire. It is due in cinemas on 6 February, and the footage shows a tense, controlled Ahmed moving through grief, suspicion and family power.

The film teams Ahmed and Karia again after The Long Goodbye, which won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short. That success informs this production. This is the first time a major UK studio release has grounded Hamlet within a South Asian household for a wide audience.

Keep ReadingShow less