'Big directors' chose Ranbir over Ranveer for 'Bombay Velvet': Kashyap
What's the story
Renowned filmmaker Anurag Kashyap recently opened up about the financial challenges he faced while making his ambitious but failed project, Bombay Velvet. Speaking on the Game Changers podcast, he revealed that the film's budget skyrocketed from ₹28 crore to a staggering ₹90 crore after a studio got involved. "The original budget was quite low. But as soon as the studio entered, I got surrounded by ambition," he said. He also spoke about replacing Ranveer Singh with Ranbir Kapoor.
Casting decision
Singh was the 1st choice for 'Bombay Velvet'
Kashyap revealed that he had initially cast Singh in the lead role. However, due to Singh's then-unknown status, Kashyap was advised by industry insiders to consider Kapoor instead. "Nobody had faith in him. Big directors used to call him 'treadmill' because he had so much energy," said Kashyap about Singh's early career. "They said they don't know how he'd fare out, but Ranbir is better." "So it took me a year to go mentally from Ranveer to Ranbir."
Director's dilemma
Kashyap delayed 'Bombay Velvet' to deal with budget issues
Kashyap also revealed that he delayed the start of Bombay Velvet (2015) by one and a half years to deal with the inflated budget. He consulted several big names in the industry, including Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar, who advised him to work with a bigger star like Kapoor. "The whole industry told me the studio is experienced, it's just me who's afraid to work with a big star," confessed Kashyap about his eventual decision to cast Kapoor.
Filming strategy
How guerrilla-style filming helped Kashyap
To keep his budget in check, Kashyap revealed that he often resorts to guerrilla-style filming. He shared an anecdote from his directorial debut Black Friday (2004), where he couldn't afford to build a set. "All you need to make a film is a camera...I kept it in the car or kept it hidden, then I didn't need any permissions. The whole city was my set," he recalled.
Financial impact
'We went from rickshaws to Mercedes...'
Kashyap further explained how the inflated budget of Bombay Velvet resulted in larger box office losses. He said, "The budget went from ₹28 crore to ₹90 crore. Then to justify that, I had to erect a set." "Suddenly, we went from rickshaws to Mercedes for going to the set. Suddenly, a resort was made in Sri Lanka near the set." The movie also stars Anushka Sharma.