AK vs AK: Did You Know Anil Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap Had Once Fought for Real Over a Film?
Years back, Anurag was to make a film called Allwyn Kallicharan, a dark crime thriller. Anil Kapoor was to play the lead in the film, and they had even released the poster of the film, revealing the edgy look of the actor.
Netflix India released the first trailer of their experimental Hindi film, AK vs AK. Using a meta narrative, director Vikramaditya Motwane brings together Anil Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap as actors for a thriller, that also stars Sonam Kapoor, Harshvardhan and even Boney Kapoor. All playing themselves, AK vs AK offers a fictional spin as to what will happen if Kashyap kidnapped Sonam and then asked Anil to find her within 10 hours, as his every moment will be recorded for Anurag's upcoming film. AK Vs AK Trailer: Anil Kapoor Searching For Kidnapped Sonam Kapoor And Anurag Kashyap Mocking Him Looks Raw And Real.
Netflix even promoted AK vs AK in the same vein as the theme of the film, with Kashyap and Kapoor taking potshots at each other on Twitter. What makes this film and their banter even more interesting, is that these two had a real tiff in the past, and were not even on speaking terms anymore!
Years back, Anurag was to make a film called Allwyn Kalicharan, a dark crime thriller. Anil Kapoor was to play the lead in the film, and they had even released the poster of the film, revealing the edgy look of the actor. It was an ambitious project for Anurag, said to be very futuristic in its treatment. Netflix Announces 4 Indian Films For 2020, Courtesy Anurag Kashyap, Karan Johar, Vikramaditya Motwane and Dibakar Banerjee.
See the poster of Allwyn Kalicharan featuring Anil Kapoor below:
However, the film was shelved, with the lead actor himself getting accused of ditching Allwyn Kalicharan (notice the initials) on day one itself. Apparently, the National Award-winning actor was insecure with the role of another actor in the film, whose details weren't revealed. Anurag, who is known not to mince words, had been very vocal about his dislike for Anil Kapoor and even vowing never to work with the actor.
In an interview given to Indiatimes in 2007, Anurag had said, "Allwyn Kalicharan got shelved because the hero Anil Kapoor developed cold feet at the last minute. First, he said he loved the script, but later got insecure about the other actor’s role. And he didn’t have the guts to come and tell me that. He just kept postponing it and at the end, I understood his game plan and decided to abandon the project altogether. I suffered a lot because of Anil Kapoor and I will not forget it. I don’t think I will ever work with him. I tried to get in touch with him, but there was no response from him."
That was 12 years ago, and things have changed a lot since then. Anurag's anger towards the Kapoors have cooled down it seems, and now he and Anil are sharing the screen together. He was also one of the producers of Bhavesh Joshi Superhero, that starred Anil's son Harshvardhan Kapoor.
Watch the Trailer of AK vs AK:
Speaking about AK vs AK, as per certain reports, it was a project that was earlier called AK vs SK. As per these reports, it was to star Shahid Kapoor then, playing a reel-life version of his real self, whose wife gets kidnapped by Anurag Kashyap over ego hassles. That project didn't happen then, and now it is refashioned as AK vs AK with Anil Kapoor replacing Shahid Kapoor. Let's hope that after working with AK vs AK, Anurag and Anil could revive Allwyn Kalicharan. After all, Anurag still makes edgy films, and Anil still looks young!
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 07, 2020 08:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).