Bollywood actor Abhishek Banerjee is currently basking in the success of his two latest films, Stree 2 and Vedaa, which released on the same day. But along with it, he also unintentionally got himself embroiled in a controversy after he recalled the time he was ousted from a Dharma Productions film.
It all began after Abhishek said that he and his friend were fired from the film Agneepath, for which they were casting. He stated that director Karan Malhotra did no like their casting. "We were casting Anurag Kashyap-type actors. He didn’t like it and said, ‘Nikal jaao humaari film se'. We thought our career was barbaad, khatam," he joked.
Abhishek Banerjee issues statement
Post his anecdote, Dharma honcho Karan Johar as well as director Karan Malhotra found themselves at the receiving end of backlash. And to put an end to it, Abhishek finally issued a wordy statement on Monday.
"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 emphasised 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," he said.
He further continued, "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. 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."
Not doing this for hamper: Abhishek
Abhishek added he shared his story to encourage young people that they can always bounce back even if after hitting a roadblock. "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 Gyarah Gyarah. Additionally, Dharma even cast me as an actor in Ajeeb Daastaans," he said.
"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," he cheekily concluded.
Both Karan Johar and Karan Malhotra have not reacted to the controversy yet.