Panchayat Season 3, which released last week on Amazon Prime Video, has once again become the flavour of the season, and fans are eagerly awaiting the fourth season. While all the beloved characters returned to entertain us, this time the limelight was on Vidhayak Ji, played by Pankaj Jha. The actor, who has been in the business for years, is finally getting his due with the success of the TVF show. But did you know he was once associated with Gangs of Wasseypur and was replaced by a very pivotal character in the film? The actor has now spoken about the chaos and has allegedly called director Anurag Kashyap spineless for not keeping his word.

Pankaj Jha Calls Anurag Kashyap Spineless & Timid

Anurag Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur Part One and Two are both cult classics that have made a global impact. One of the most iconic characters in the film is Sultan Qureshi, played by Pankaj Tripathi. The role impressed audiences worldwide, making Tripathi a household name and a sought-after actor in India. However, the same part was initially offered to Pankaj Jha and not Pankaj Tripathi. Yes, you read that right. Jha has now revolted in his latest interview.

Panchayat actor Pankaj Jha, in a conversation with Digit Commentary, was asked about getting replaced in Gangs of Wasseypur and whether there was any politics involved in the episode. The actor quickly responded, "I don’t care about the politics that happens behind my back. The person doing it wins only if it harms me. Those who engage in politics behind someone’s back are generally cowards, right? Otherwise, they would have come forward, upfront."

For the uninitiated, there was a phase when Jha was actually a close aide to Anurag Kashyap, as his filmography includes Gulaal and Black Friday, two of Kashyap's most iconic movies. When asked how the Gangs of Wasseypur role impacted his dynamic with Anurag, he described himself as a director-making actor and called Kashyap timid and spineless.

"While films like Satya and Gulaal create actors, they also make directors. But there are so many timid and spineless people here that they can’t even keep their word," said Jha, who plays Vidhayak Ji in Panchayat. Directly referring to Anurag Kashyap, he added, "Later, I found out that the director himself was in a bad situation, getting no work, and was doing 36 different jobs on this project."

About Gangs of Wasseypur

Written and directed by Anurag Kashyap, Gangs of Wasseypur is a world phenomenon. The movie, mounted on a large canvas, is a full-grown franchise in itself. Almost every ace artist from the Hindi film industry at this point has had some participation in the film. Even Vicky Kaushal was an Assistant Director on the sets of GOW. The film stars Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Huma Qureshi, Pankaj Tripathi, Piyush Mishra, Vineet Kumar Singh, and an ensemble cast. It tells the story of a lawless land where gangs fight each other, leading to chaos that is insane.

Both parts of Gangs of Wasseypur are streaming on Netflix. Panchayat Season 3 is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more information on this and everything else in the world of streaming, films, and shows.

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