Abhishek Banerjee, currently basking in the success of his recent releases Stree 2 and Vedaa, has found himself at the center of a controversy involving Dharma Productions. The actor, who co-owns a casting agency with his business partner Anmol Ahuja, has addressed the issue in a statement clarifying a miscommunication that led to a stir.
The controversy erupted when Banerjee shared an anecdote about being removed from the casting process of the 2012 film Agneepath. In a recent interview, he mentioned that he and his partner were young and inexperienced at the time and couldn’t align with the vision of director Karan Malhotra. This statement was misinterpreted by some as an accusation against Dharma Productions. Talking about the same to Free Press Journal, Abhishek said, “Dharma ke dawaze humare liye humesha ke liye band ho gaye the (The doors for Dharma had shut forever). Hua ye tha Hrithik wali Agneepath mai nikal diya tha unhone (It so happened that they had removed me from the Hrithik starrer Agneepath). There was a reason for it, Karan sir was there, and we were kids at that time, 32-33 years old. Piyush Mishra recommended our name to Karan Johar.”
Revealing further details on what happened, Abhishek continued, “It was a Dharma film, before that I did The Dirty Picture. It was a big film, and I was on cloud nine when I got a Dharma film. The casting began and we were at that time, Anurag Kashyap type Gangs of Wasseypur’s characters. They wanted to cast villains in Agneepath, and we were there but it did not suit them. Karan Johar ko laga inko thodi khada karunga mein Hrithik ke samne (how can we make them stand against someone like Hrithik Roshan). They wanted some kind of presence.”
To clear the air, Banerjee issued a statement on Monday, August 19, expressing his deep respect for Dharma Productions and Karan Johar. He emphasized that he never intended to portray the situation negatively and that the decision to remove his casting agency was made by the director’s team. He also highlighted that he and his company have worked on several successful projects with Dharma post Agneepath, including Ok Jaanu, Student of the Year 2, Kalank, and more recently, Kill and Gyaarah Gyaarah.
He said, “This week I have been blessed ???? with two releases and one controversy. I’ve been reading and hearing a lot of reports about Dharma Productions supposedly firing my company, Casting Bay, during the casting process of Agneepath (2012). Unfortunately, this situation has been completely misrepresented as accusatory on our part. In a podcast/interview, I had stated the reason for our dismissal, acknowledging that we were unable to align with the vision of director Karan Malhotra for Agneepath. I also emphasized that Anmol and I were quite young at the time, around 20 to 23 years old, with little to no experience in casting for a major commercial film, which perhaps led to us misinterpreting Mr. Malhotra’s requirements for the project.”
“I have not accused or suggested any wrongdoing on the part of Dharma Productions. In fact, I have deep respect for Dharma Productions and Karan Johar,” Banerjee said in his statement. “I never mentioned Karan Johar in relation to our dismissal, yet some reports falsely claim that he was the one who fired us. The decision was actually made by Mr. Malhotra’s team, and I accepted our mistakes.”
Banerjee’s intention behind sharing the story was to inspire young people, emphasizing that setbacks can be overcome. He expressed gratitude towards Dharma for their continued support and collaboration. “I shared this story to encourage young people that even if you fail or hit a roadblock, you can always bounce back, as we did. We went on to work on several projects with Dharma, starting with Ok Jaanu, Student of the Year 2, Kalank and recent releases like – Kill and Gyaarah Gyaarah. Additionally, Dharma even cast me as an actor in Ajeeb Daastaans. Dharma has always been very good to me and to my company, Casting Bay. It is a relationship we value and nurture. PS: I am not putting this out for the hamper,” the actor concluded.
In public interest !! pic.twitter.com/tPEOOgHE2D
— Abhishek Banerjee (@nowitsabhi) August 19, 2024
Meanwhile, Abhishek Banerjee is currently seen in two films in cinemas – Stree 2 and Vedaa.
ALSO READ: Abhishek Banerjee reveals losing out on Karan Johar’s remake of Agneepath; says, “Dharma ke dawaze humare liye humesha ke liye band ho gaye the”
