Renowned Bollywood filmmaker Anurag Kashyap recently shared a heartwarming and surprising anecdote about his chance meeting with cricket icon Rahul Dravid, revealing he was left utterly "gobsmacked" by the encounter. The meeting, which took place at an airport last year, became a memorable moment for Kashyap, especially when he realized the former Indian captain and coach knew exactly who he was.
The Airport Encounter That Felt Like a Dream
In a candid conversation with Mashable Middle East, Kashyap recounted the details of the unexpected meeting. The incident occurred in November of last year, when both were on the same flight. Kashyap admitted he was asleep during the journey and missed seeing Dravid initially. The moment of realization came later. "When we got off the flight, we were in the same bus. And then I saw him, and I was gobsmacked. The whole fanboy in me came out," the director confessed.
He described the scene where other passengers were taking pictures with both of them. Kashyap's sole focus, however, was on getting his own moment with his childhood hero. "I just wanted all of them to go away so that I could take a picture with him," he said with humour. This fan moment was later immortalized in a selfie that Kashyap posted on his Instagram, captioned simply, "Met my hero on a flight."
The Moment That Made It Truly Special: Mutual Recognition
What elevated the encounter from a simple fan interaction to a cherished memory was Rahul Dravid's reaction. Kashyap was visibly elated as he recalled Dravid's words to him. "And when he said, 'All the best, and thanks for all the work you do,' I was like, oh, he knows me. For him to know me is very special. He’s literally the hero, the wall," Kashyap stated, referring to Dravid's famous nickname 'The Wall' of Indian cricket.
The filmmaker's awe for the cricketer's athleticism was further cemented right after their photo was taken. "And then when we went to the steps, he ran up the steps, and I was taking the escalator. I was like, ah, there goes the sportsman," Kashyap laughingly added, highlighting the stark contrast between their fitness levels.
Kashyap on Past Projects and Moving Forward
In the same wide-ranging interview, Kashyap also touched upon the aftermath of his ambitious 2015 film, 'Bombay Velvet'. He revealed that the film's leading actor, Ranbir Kapoor, often expresses his frustration when the movie is brought up. "He keeps saying, 'Why do you keep talking about Bombay Velvet? Just ignore it. The film didn’t work, it didn’t work,'" Kashyap quoted.
Reflecting on the emotional toll of the film's failure, Kashyap admitted it was difficult to face the cast who had placed immense trust in him. "At the beginning, I just didn’t know how to face them because they had given me a lot of trust and love. And I was dealing with my own demons," he shared. This period led him to channel his energy into making a smaller, more focused film like 'Raman Raghav 2.0'.
On the work front, Anurag Kashyap, who recently directed the two-part crime saga 'Nishaanchi', is now preparing for the release of his upcoming film 'Bandar', which stars Bobby Deol. The chance meeting with Rahul Dravid remains a standout personal moment for the filmmaker, a testament to the cross-industry respect between two legends from different fields of Indian public life.
