Before becoming a celebrated filmmaker, Anurag Kashyap aspired to act. Recently, he pursued acting to save for his daughter Aaliyah’s wedding. Now, his role in Maharaja has caught the attention of Oscar-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu, who reportedly offered him a role in his upcoming film with Tom Cruise.
Neither Kashyap nor others have confirmed the news, and it’s unclear if the project mentioned by the Maharaja director involves the Tom Cruise film. According to The Hindu, at an awards event in Chennai, director Nithilan Swaminathan shared that during a visit to Mumbai for Kashyap’s daughter’s wedding, he learned about Iñárritu’s offer after watching Maharaja. Swaminathan expressed admiration and happiness for Kashyap.
Maharaja, starring Vijay Sethupathi, was a box office hit last year. Made on a modest budget of Rs 20 crore, it earned nearly ₹200 crore worldwide, with Rs 100 crore from China. The film also performed well on Netflix but sparked controversy due to its plot and themes.
Anurag, apart from his role in Maharaja, had a cameo in Vijay’s Leo and co-led the Hotstar show Bad Cop. He also appeared in the Malayalam film Rifle Club. In an interview, Kashyap revealed that five of his films, including Kennedy, remain unreleased due to studio decisions prioritizing profits over filmmaking, despite Kennedy receiving acclaim at Cannes and other festivals.
Alejandro González Iñárritu’s last film was Bardo. His upcoming project, also starring Tom Cruise, Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, John Goodman, and Riz Ahmed, follows “the most powerful man in the world” on a desperate quest to prove himself humanity’s savior before his actions lead to catastrophic consequences.
