The box office doesn’t just count money. Sometimes, it reopens old chapters. As Ranveer Singh celebrates the biggest commercial high of his career with Dhurandhar, a behind-the-scenes revelation has brought
one of Bollywood’s most debated films back into the spotlight. With Dhurandhar now out-earning Animal, the film that marked Ranbir Kapoor’s career resurgence, conversations around the two actors have resurfaced. But this time, the focus isn’t rivalry. It’s a casting decision that changed the course of a film — and perhaps a filmmaker.
A film that began with Ranveer in mind
In a conversation with SCREEN, Anurag Kashyap revealed that Bombay Velvet was never meant to star Ranbir Kapoor in its earliest draft. The noir drama, which later became one of the most talked-about box office failures of the decade, was originally written with Ranveer Singh as the lead. “The film was not a high-budget film initially. It was sold at a very high budget, and it took me time to get around to that, and to the change of actor. Earlier, when I wrote it, it was for Ranveer Singh. He was much fresher then. But everybody sold it on the basis of Ranbir, and the actor changed. It took me at least a year to wrap my head around it.”
‘Ranbir is a dream actor’
Addressing long-standing assumptions, Kashyap made it clear that the change had nothing to do with Ranbir’s talent or commitment. “Because, you know, when you write something thinking of one actor and then have to work with another, it takes time. Ranbir himself is a great actor, there was no issue there. It was just me wrapping my head around the fact that I had to work with a different actor. And it was terrific. Ranbir’s commitment was terrific. He is literally a dream actor to work with. Once I wrapped my head around that, we started working, and it was a terrific time to create the film.”
Despite the effort, Bombay Velvet failed to connect with audiences — a result that left a lasting mark on the director.
A film that changed Anurag Kashyap’s relationship with Bombay
The commercial reception of Bombay Velvet didn’t just affect box office numbers. Kashyap admitted it altered his creative instincts altogether. “With Raman Raghav then Sacred Games later on, I wanted to get away from Bombay. I didn’t want to make films in Bombay. The thing is, there are so many stories of Bombay that remain untold, and I have them inside me. But what happened in Bombay Velvet at the box office, I think, it has scarred me for life.”
