'I think Ranbir was very upset': Anurag Kashyap opens up about the 'painful phase' after failure of Anushka Sharma starrer 'Bombay Velvet'

In a recent interview, Anurag Kashyap opened up about the tough time he faced after his 2015 film 'Bombay Velvet' tanked at the box office. The film starred Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma in lead roles. Notably, the film also featured a cameo appearance by Karan Johar. Anurag Kashyap shared that the failure did not just affect the film but also affected his bond with the lead actors. He said the phase was very painful for everyone involved as the film did not meet expectations, and that left behind hurt feelings. According to him, things were not easy at all after the release.

Ranbir Kapoor was deeply upset

Talking to SCREEN about Ranbir Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap said the actor was very upset after the film did not work. He shared how Ranbir reacted whenever the topic of 'Bombay Velvet' came up.


Kashyap said, “I think Ranbir was very upset, and he keeps saying, ‘Why do you keep talking about Bombay Velvet? Just ignore it. The film didn’t work, it didn’t work, but you don’t have to talk about it all the time.’ But people ask me questions all the time — how can I just ignore that?”

Distance from Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma

Anurag Kashyap also shared that he found it hard to face Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma after the film failed. He said he felt awkward and guilty because both actors trusted him fully. He explained, “We don’t meet often. Whenever we meet, we just hug and greet each other. And at the beginning, I just didn’t know how to face them because they had given me a lot of trust and love. And I was dealing with my own demons.”
He added that during that time, he needed space to heal. He focused on making a smaller film and worked deeply on Raman Raghav. Slowly, he felt that distance grew between them.

Looking back at 'Bombay Velvet' today

'Bombay Velvet' released in May 2015. It was a Hindi neo-noir period crime drama. Even though the film failed at the box office, it did receive mixed reactions from critics. Some praised its style, while others felt it lacked emotion. Our ETimes review mentioned, “'Bombay Velvet' has rough edges too. The film is so intensely stylized, it misses emotional pull.”

Anurag Kashyap on work front

On the professional front, Anurag Kashyap recently made an appearance in the Tisca Chopra directed thriller drama OTT film, 'Saali Mohabbat' featuring Radhika Apte and Divyenndu Sharma.







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