Abhishek Banerjee, one of the most versatile stars of the industry, recently reflected on a major obstacle he faced early in his career. Before stepping into the limelight as an actor, Abhishek Banerjee began his journey in the film industry as a casting director in 2010. He worked on several notable projects, including Vidya Balan’s ‘The Dirty Picture’ and Rani Mukerji’s ‘No One Killed Jessica.’ However, his budding career nearly came to a halt when he was unexpectedly fired from Karan Johar’s banner during the making of ‘Agneepath,’ a film starring Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra.
In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, the actor discussed a difficult period in his career. He recounted being dismissed from his role as the casting director for ‘Agneepath,’ with the responsibility eventually shifting to Jogi Mallang. Banerjee noted that the reason for his removal stemmed from the producers’ dissatisfaction with his casting choices. “Why were we removed? Because Karan sir didn’t like our casting,” Abhishek Banerjee explained, though he didn’t clarify whether he was referencing Karan Johar or the film’s director, Karan Malhotra.
He elaborated further, noting that the type of actors he was casting did not align with the vision the filmmakers had for the project. “We were casting Anurag Kashyap-type actors. He didn’t like it and said, ‘Nikal jaao humaari film se (get out of our film).’ We thought our career was barbaad, khatam (our career was over) because we were thrown out of Dharma (Productions). We thought we were done, but thankfully, we survived,” he said.Despite this significant setback, Abhishek did not let the experience deter him. He continued to pursue his passion for casting and eventually co-founded a successful casting agency. Through this venture, he worked on several high-profile projects, including Priyanka Chopra and Farhan Akhtar’s ‘The Sky is Pink’ and the popular web series ‘Paatal Lok.’
In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, the actor discussed a difficult period in his career. He recounted being dismissed from his role as the casting director for ‘Agneepath,’ with the responsibility eventually shifting to Jogi Mallang. Banerjee noted that the reason for his removal stemmed from the producers’ dissatisfaction with his casting choices. “Why were we removed? Because Karan sir didn’t like our casting,” Abhishek Banerjee explained, though he didn’t clarify whether he was referencing Karan Johar or the film’s director, Karan Malhotra.
He elaborated further, noting that the type of actors he was casting did not align with the vision the filmmakers had for the project. “We were casting Anurag Kashyap-type actors. He didn’t like it and said, ‘Nikal jaao humaari film se (get out of our film).’ We thought our career was barbaad, khatam (our career was over) because we were thrown out of Dharma (Productions). We thought we were done, but thankfully, we survived,” he said.Despite this significant setback, Abhishek did not let the experience deter him. He continued to pursue his passion for casting and eventually co-founded a successful casting agency. Through this venture, he worked on several high-profile projects, including Priyanka Chopra and Farhan Akhtar’s ‘The Sky is Pink’ and the popular web series ‘Paatal Lok.’
On the acting front, Abhishek Banerjee has also made a name for himself with his versatility and compelling performances. His role in ‘Stree 2’ has been particularly well-received, contributing to the film’s strong performance at the box office. The horror-comedy, featuring Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Aparshakti Khurana, and Pankaj Tripathi, has captured the audience’s attention with its engaging storyline and stellar cast.
He also featured in the Nikhil Advani directorial ‘Vedaa,’ which stars John Abraham and Sharvari as well. The movie opened to a decent start at the box office.
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