'Comments were completely misinterpreted': Abhishek Banerjee on Dharma Productions fallout
Actor Abhishek Banerjee, who is currently promoting his recently released films Stree 2 and Vedaa, has issued a clarification regarding his comments about Dharma Productions and Karan Johar. In a recent interview, Banerjee had shared an incident about his dismissal from the casting process of Agneepath (2012), which was misinterpreted as an accusation against Dharma Productions. Now, the actor has taken to X/Twitter to clear the air.
Banerjee clarified his comments about Dharma Productions
In his statement, Banerjee clarified that he had not accused Dharma Productions of any wrongdoing. He explained that the incident was a result of his and his partner Anmol Ahuja's Casting Bay's inability to align with the vision of Agneepath's director, Karan Malhotra. Banerjee emphasized that they were quite young at the time, with little to no experience in casting for a major commercial film.
'Deep respect for Dharma Productions and Karan Johar': Banerjee
"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," Banerjee further mentioned in his post. He added, "I shared this story to encourage young people that even if you fail or hit a roadblock, you can always bounce back." Concluding the note, he wrote, "PS: I am not putting this out for the hamper."
Read the full note by Banerjee here
Banerjee's casting anecdote sparked backlash
The controversy started when Banerjee revealed that he was dismissed from casting for Agneepath after Malhotra disapproved of their choices. Abhishek recounted, "We were casting Anurag Kashyap-type actors. He didn't like it and said, 'Nikal jaao humaari film se.' We thought our career was finished," he joked. Following this anecdote, Dharma Productions heads and Malhotra faced criticism. In response to the backlash, Banerjee issued a detailed statement.
Banerjee's journey as a casting director
Banerjee began his career as a casting director in 2010 and has worked on several notable films including The Dirty Picture, No One Killed Jessica, Gabbar Is Back, and Rock On 2. In 2017, he co-founded a casting agency called Casting Bay with Ahuja. Through this agency, he has served as a casting director for films such as The Sky Is Pink, Paatal Lok, Kalank, Panchayat, Bhediya, and Vikram Vedha.
