3 months ago
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In a recent interview, actor Abhishek Banerjee revealed that he was fired by Dharma Productions as the casting agency for Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra starrer Agneepath. His claims got everyone’s attention and made headlines. However, seeing the negative criticism of his interview, he releases an official statement clearing the air. He said that he never mentioned Karan Johar about their dismissal, yet some reports falsely claim that he was the one who fired them.
Abhishek Banerjee releases official statement after his controversy
The statement, “This week I have been blessed with two releases and one controversy. I’ve been reading and hearing a lot of reports about Dharma Productions supposedly firing my company, Casting Bay, during the casting process of Agneepath (2012). Unfortunately, this situation has been completely misrepresented as accusatory on our part. In a podcast/interview, I stated the reason for our dismissal, acknowledging that we were unable to align with the vision of director Karan Malhotra for Agneepath. I also emphasized that Anmol and I were quite young at the time, around 20 to 23 years old, with little to no experience in casting for a major commercial film, which perhaps led to us misinterpreting Mr Malhotra’s requirements for the project.“
“I have not accused or suggested any wrongdoing on the part of Dharma Productions. In fact, I have deep respect for Dharma Productions and Karan Johar. I never mentioned Karan Johar in relation to our dismissal, yet some reports falsely claim that he was the one who fired us. The decision was actually made by Mr. Malhotra’s team, and I accepted our mistakes. I shared this story to encourage young people that even if you fail or hit a roadblock, you can always bounce back, as we did. We went on to work on several projects with Dharma, starting with Ok Jaanu, Student of the Year 2, Kalank and recent releases like – Kill and Gyarah Gyarah. Additionally, Dharma even cast me as an actor in Ajeeb Daastaans.”
The Vedaa actor further said, “Dharma has always been very good to me and to my company, Casting Bay. It is a relationship we value and nurture. PS: I am not putting this out for the hamper.”
For the unversed, Abhishek Banerjee has worked as the casting director for Priyanka Chopra and Farhan Akhtar’s The Sky is Pink as well as the web series Paatal Lok. He’s also done the casting for films like Vidya Balan’s The Dirty Picture and Rani Mukerji’s No One Killed Jessica.
