Mahesh Bhatt's reaction surprised Anurag Kashyap after he told him he'd rather be a carpenter than work with him: 'He gave me...'

Mahesh Bhatt and Anurag Kashyap are two of the most acclaimed filmmakers in India. They also have been quite vocal and expressive about their thoughts and opinions in their interviews. The Gangs of Wasseypur director once shared how his perception towards the Arth director changed after a heartwarming incident.

Talking to Mid-Day in 2020, Anurag said, "Oh, one of my favourite stories is about Mahesh Bhatt. He happened to me, right before Ram Gopal Varma. He got me to write films. And Mukesh Bhatt (his brother, and producer) was very miserly with money. I was struggling for rent. Pooja Bhatt was among the nicest and kindest persons I knew in the industry so I would tell her to talk to her dad. Then I just walked up to (Mahesh) Bhatt saab once and said that I’d rather be a carpenter than work in his office. With his brother (Mukesh) around, he didn’t say a word. When I was leaving, Bhatt saab came down, said, 'Don’t ever change.' And he put Rs 10,000 in my hand. That was big money in 1994-1995."

But the story doesn't end here. Kashyap further added that he was talking about he walked out on Mukesh Bhatt at a screening of Black Friday in England when he heard someone speak up from the audience. "'Aur Mahesh Bhatt ne paise diye the. Woh bhool gaye (And what about the money Mahesh Bhatt gave you?You forgot that)?' Bhatt saab was sitting in the crowd. I got so emotional. I have had funny incidents like these", he concluded.

Meanwhile, Anurag Kashyap's last release was Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat in 2023. The musical romantic drama starred Karan Mehta and Alaya F in the leading roles. On the other hand, Mahesh Bhatt marked his return to direction after 21 years with Sadak 2 in 2020. The action drama featured Alia Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, and Aditya Roy Kapur.