Anurag Kashyap says he’s only being offered to play ‘rogues’ because of typecasting: ‘That’s how the world sees me’

An Anurag Kashyap film has just been released. The difference is that the maverick filmmaker plays the role and not the director. The film is Haddi, starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead role. The revenge drama sees Kashyap as the antagonist, a corrupt and land-grabbing politician. In an exclusive chat with DNA, Kashyap opens up about the film, being a reluctant actor, and more.

His filmography as an actor has seen Kashyap largely play the villain, whether it’s the corrupt cop in Akira or the hateful politician in Kuttey. And now the trend continues with Haddi. Ask him why playing a rascal comes so naturally to him and Kashyap has a deadpan response: “That’s how the world sees me.” I’m only approached to play naughty. I am never offered the role of father. He’s always the bad guy. Why this is so I cannot say. But typecasting happens a lot here, so you know that.

But joking aside, the filmmaker describes himself as a “reluctant actor.” “Making films will always be the priority. I will always be more open to making a film than anything else,” he says. So, what does it take for Kashyap to get rid of this reluctance? He has a simple answer. “Sometimes I act for money and sometimes for emotions. Some people are good blackmailers. Akshat Ajay Sharma (the director of Haddi) is an accidental filmmaker but he is a very good blackmailer. He managed to get me to act in his film. When I’m not doing anything, I sometimes choose attractive or well-paying projects. And it’s not like it’s not fun. It’s a lot of fun, but making a movie is always more fun.

Haddi, directed by Akshat Ajay Sharma, also stars Zeeshan Ayyub, Ila Arun, Saurabh Sachdeva and Rajesh Kumar in key roles. The broadcast began on Zee5 from September 7.