Anurag Kashyap reveals how 'Bombay Velvet' budget jumped from Rs 28 to 90 crore: 'Had considered Ranveer Singh for the role but...'

Ever since Ranveer Singh made his debut on the big screen in 2010 with Band Baaja Baaraat, he has proven that he had truly ‘arrived’ and for the audience, the next best actor of the generation had emerged. There’s no doubt he won hearts with his acting skills, knowing that this would be his biggest strength to survive and thrive in the entertainment world. Blending his energy and charm only added to his appeal, but there’s something different about this powerhouse when he comes on screen.

Ranveer Singh : The first choice for Bombay Velvet

In an interview with Komal Nahta, the filmmaker revealed, “Bombay Velvet had a huge budget. In such a scenario, film jo hai, woh film nahin rehti hai. The whole focus is on the opening. The final edit of the film was not locked as per my requirement. It was nearly three hours long. The fear was that it would get fewer shows due to the length. In such a situation, kainchi chalwani padti hai.”

Anurag Kashyap added, “I had considered a small actor for this role. His name is Ranveer Singh. No one had any faith in him. All the big directors used to call him ‘treadmill’ because he has a lot of energy! Meanwhile, Ranbir Kapoor is a fantastic actor. It took me a year to reach from Ranveer to Ranbir mentally and emotionally.”

The filmmaker also said, “ Ranbir Kapoor was dedicated. I assumed I was wrong. The whole industry also said the same thing to me. They told me, ‘The studio is experienced. Whatever decisions have been made for you are right. You are just scared to make a big budget film and with a big star’. I bought into it.”

The budget of Bombay Velvet

“Originally, the budget was Rs. 28 crores and it jumped to Rs. 90 crores! Yet, the studio bought the film (laughs). Then I had to justify the cost. I had done recce for 7 years for this film with the idea that I have Rs. 28 crores. I had envisioned that I would depict Bombay of the 1960s in parts. This is how Anurag Basu managed to make Barfi (2012) in a controlled budget. But now, to justify the cost, we had to create a set and a studio in Sri Lanka.”