‘Gangster’, the romantic thriller from director Anurag Basu, is 20 years old. He revealed that he envisioned a ‘bahadan’ like Kangana Ranaut, whom he cast opposite Emraan Hashmi despite chemotherapy – as they cook dal together in a simple photoshoot outside.
Anurag Basu’s film Gangster remains one of his most treasured films. This romantic crime thriller has gained a loyal following. On the occasion of his 20th anniversary, the director shared his memories of Kangana Ranaut opposite Emraan Hashmi.
To pour Kangana Ranaut
In his interview with Variety India, Anurag revealed how he chose Kangana, saying, “I had an image of the girl in my mind, who was very similar to Kangana, and I was lucky enough to find her. I was struggling because I was meeting a lot of girls and consulting a lot of actresses. But there was nothing like Kangana at that time. So, I had a very clear image of a girl like this, Pahadan (from the mountains). So, when I first met her, I didn’t know her.” He immediately tells her that she was chosen because directors are always greedy.
““So, I tested her and said, ‘Wait five or six days. I’ll get back to you.’ I was still looking for a new girl for another five to six days. I couldn’t find a better one than Kangana. I have confirmed it for the film,” he continued.
Gang shooting conflicts
Talking about the toughest part of shooting abroad, Basu said, “When I first shot the film, I wanted to fall on the ground very quickly. Everyone was stopping me from doing that, as I was undergoing chemotherapy at the time.
They wanted me to start filming after I recovered. But the only way to deal with the chemo and everything that was happening to me was to fall to the ground. I was desperate to get started. We went there with a very small unit because we couldn’t afford so many people.
We used to cook lunch ourselves. Kangana chops onions and I cook dal. Everyone will eat and then go shoot.”
Main credits to the gang
Gangster is directed by Anurag Basu and produced by Mahesh Bhatt, and also features Shiney Ahuja. It weaves a complex love triangle amidst themes of crime and betrayal.