Manoj Bajpayee mentioned during an interview that director Anurag Kashyap could have directed the film Shool if he had wanted to. According to Manoj, Anurag Kashyap had written the dialogues for Shool but decided not to direct it because he was adamant that his first film as a director should be Paanch. Shool, released in 1999, was produced by Ram Gopal Varma and directed by Eshwar Niwas, who was Ram Gopal Varma’s assistant at the time.
When asked about whether Anurag Kashyap was unhappy about the changed made to his script, Manoj Bajpayee, during the interview with The Lallantop responded in Hindi, saying, “No, that wasn’t the case. He was the writer, he could’ve directed it if he wanted to. But he had a script for a film called Paanch. You will all know that he is a ‘dimaag ka tedha aadmi (slightly eccentric man)’. He had decided that his first film would only be Paanch, and that he wouldn’t direct anything else before it.”
To Manoj, this looked strange because directing the movie would have been a good opportunity for him. “You will not find a more eccentric man. He had work, he was in charge, he’d written Shool, but he didn’t direct it. He’s stubborn, but more than stubborn, he’s mad.”
Paanch, however, went on to face numerous behind-the-scenes problems and ultimately did not receive a theatrical release. After circulating in the festival circuit, it was leaked on torrent sites. During a 2009 interview with journalist Ajay Brahmatmaj, Anurag had stated, “I started writing Shool, intending to direct it myself. However, certain modifications were made by the producer in the second half. I decided to step back from the project as a director.”
On the work front, Manoj Bajpayee plays the lead in Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai on Zee5. The film has received rave review from the critics.
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