'Vijay Sethupathi paid for my daughter’s wedding,' says Anurag Kashyap

Anurag Kashyap might be celebrated as a maverick filmmaker, but it’s his growing popularity as an actor, especially in South Indian cinema, that has caught everyone’s attention in recent years. And according to Anurag, one of the key reasons behind his latest acting stint in the Tamil hit Maharaja was—believe it or not—his daughter’s wedding.

Anurag Kashyap credits Vijay Sethupathi for nudging him back to acting, after swearing off South Indian cinema post Imaikkaa Nodigal

Anurag Kashyap revealed that Vijay Sethupathi played a pivotal role in his return to South cinema. “After Imaikkaa Nodigal, I started saying no to South films. Offers kept coming, but I was done,” he admitted. However, things changed during the post-production of his Hindi film Kennedy, where he often ran into Vijay at a mutual friend’s house.

“He kept telling me there’s this great script they want you for,” Anurag said. Initially reluctant, he eventually gave in—partly out of creative gratitude, and partly out of personal necessity. “He helped me with something in Kennedy, so I couldn’t say no. I told him, ‘My daughter is getting married next year, and I can’t afford it.’ He just said, ‘We’ll help you.’

And that’s how Maharaja happened,” Anurag laughed. His daughter, YouTuber Aaliyah Kashyap, married Shane Gregoire last year—an event that seems to have coincided with her father’s unexpected acting comeback.

Anurag has since been seen in Vetrimaaran’s Viduthalai Part 2, Aashiq Abu’s Malayalam action-comedy Rifle Club, and the Hindi crime series Bad Cop. Up next, he’ll appear in Dacoit: A Love Story, starring Adivi Sesh.

The Gangs of Wasseypur director also reflected on how acting shaped his directorial instincts. “I used to think I was a terrible actor. Watching my bad performances taught me how to direct others better,” he said. In fact, his first acting gig came under unexpected circumstances.

After the commercial failure of Bombay Velvet (2015), he owed money to Fox Star Studios. “They said, ‘Do a role in Akira and we’ll call it even.’ Easiest transaction ever. I was the highest-paid paid unpaid debut actor,” he joked. Now, with acting becoming his unlikely second act, Anurag admits he’s embracing it. “Filmmaking is in a crisis of fear. Acting, for now, is freeing.”