A sacrifice for the long run
Vineet Kumar Singh’s journey to turn his script for Mukkabaaz into a film wasn’t an easy one. The actor, who has worked in films such as Ugly (2013), Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) and Bombay Talkies (2013), decided to write a script for himself so he could do the kind of role he wanted, but found it difficult to find takers.
In fact, to maintain a living, he even had to sell his car, before film-maker Anurag Kashyap agreed to direct Mukkabaaz with Vineet playing the lead role. The actor says, “After doing films like Ugly, Gangs of Wasseypur and Bombay Talkies, I was being offered similar roles, which I was not interested in as I was looking for something new. I decided to start writing for myself, and since I was a national-level basketball player, I knew a lot of things about several games and the condition of the players, which the common man wouldn’t be aware about.”
“I had no money left, and to survive, I had no option but to sell my car. I wanted to act in Mukkabaaz, which I was very passionate about and my condition to every film-maker I met was that I would play the boxer in the film. That was acceptable to Anurag (Kashyap) sir. The money I generated from selling my car really helped me a lot and that was a good decision. I went to Patiala to train as a professional boxer and came back to Anurag sir,” he adds.
Presented by Eros International and Aanand L Rai, and produced by Colour Yellow in association with Phantom Films, Mukkabaaz is directed by Anurag Kashyap and releases on January 12, 2018.