Anurag Kashyap’s directorial Gangs of Wasseypur is widely regarded as a landmark in Indian cinema, and Zeishan Quadri, who wrote the story and played the character Definite, recently opened up about the hurdles behind its making. In a recent interview, Zeishan revealed that he was paid only Rs 5 lakh for the first part of the film. While he was promised separate payment for the second part, the production house funding the film backed out a week before the shoot, leaving him unpaid.
Zeishan on Anurag Kashyap’s dedication
Addressing questions about whether Anurag Kashyap lost interest after the initial pitch, Zeishan defended the director.“When I met him for the first time and he read the concept note of 7-8 pages, he said then and there that I will make the film. He said, ‘I will make it 100 percent, you don’t worry about it.’ He gave me his number on the spot. Until then, I didn’t even have his phone number,” Zeishan recalled during a conversation with Siddharth Kannan.
First impressions and a condition for the script
Zeishan also shared a striking first impression of Anurag’s financial situation. “I saw Anurag getting out of an auto rickshaw and I wondered if this man doesn’t have any money, how will he make my film? It’s all about perception,” he said.Before handing over the script, Zeishan had one condition, which Anurag accepted immediately. “I said, ‘There’s a character called Definite, I want to play that. That’s my only condition. If you say yes, then I will write the script,’” he recalled.
Making the film on a shoestring budget
Zeishan revealed that despite promises, he didn’t get paid for the second part. “I got Rs 5 lakh and I was told that I would be paid for part 2 but that didn’t happen. Because there was no money. One week before the shoot of the second part, UTV backed out saying we won’t make this film.”Viacom later came on board, but the film still had to be made on minimal resources. Zeishan said, “There was no money then and I didn’t need it either. I was more interested in getting the film made. And not just me, everyone said the same thing because the film was important for everyone. Everyone got paid very little for that film.”Sharing behind-the-scenes stories, he added, “There was one vanity van. We were living in a lodge during the shoot. Someone was complaining on another shoot that there’s no hot water here and I was telling them that during Gangs of Wasseypur, we would only get water from 5-7 am and after that, there would be no water.”
