Manoj Bajpayee & Anurag Kashyap Are No Longer Bitter Rivals

Manoj Bajpayee and Anurag Kashyap love to hate each other—and that love-hate equation has a long, colourful history. During the making of Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur, tempers flared so intensely that a furious Manoj once chased the director with a boulder.

Ask Manoj about it now, and he waves it away. “All that is in the past. Today, Anurag and I are the best of friends again, just like we once used to be. In fact, you will hear a big announcement soon,” he says.

At a recent public event, Kashyap touched Manoj’s feet, sparking much amusement. Manoj laughs off the moment. “That was just in jest. Anurag, Vijay Varma, Vineet Kumar and Jaideep Ahlawat all lunged for my feet as a joke. Actually, Anurag is insanely jealous of my slim physique. He eats mutton every day, while I don’t touch meat.”

When I reach out to Anurag, he chuckles at Manoj’s claims. “He’s right, I do love mutton. By the way, he makes the best mutton in the world. I avoid eating it every day after my health scare. But if Manoj is making mutton, no power on earth can stop me. And yes, he barely eats — just one small lunch a day.”

Manoj admits it. “I don’t eat after sunset. One meal a day is enough for me. But I love cooking for family and friends. I’m happy to cook mutton for Anurag anytime — though he must watch his diet.”

Beneath all the teasing and nostalgia is something significant: Manoj Bajpayee and Anurag Kashyap are gearing up for a major collaboration — their first since the landmark Gangs of Wasseypur in 2012.