Anurag Kashyap says it was Vijay Sethupathi who 'helped' him bag a role in Maharaja as he had to fund daughter Aliyah's wedding

During a session at The Huddle by The Hindu, Anurag Kashyap spoke about how he he ran into Vijay Sethupathi one day while he was working on the post-production of his Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone-starrer, Kennedy.

“After Imaikka Nodigal, I turned down a lot of South films. Offers kept coming every other day. Then, during post-production for Kennedy, I kept bumping into Vijay Sethupathi at my neighbour’s place. He told me there’s this amazing script they’ve been trying to get to me. I initially said no. But he helped me find something in Kennedy, so I gave him a ‘Thank You’ card in the film," he said.

Anurag then revealed that he spoke with Vijay about the expenses for Aaliyah's wedding and that's when he helped him bag a role  in Maharaja.

“I told him, ‘I need to get my daughter married next year, and I don’t think I can afford it.’ Vijay said, ‘We’ll help you.’ And that’s how Maharaja happened," Anurag told the gathering.

Nithilan Saminathan directed Maharaja, which was released in June 2024. Apart from Vijay Sethupathi and Anurag, the film featured Mamta Mohandas, Natty Subramaniam, Abhirami, and Divyabharathi in significant parts.

Maharaja, a sleeper hit, earned Rs 190 crore globally, making it one of 2024's highest-grossing Tamil films.

Talking of Anurag's daughter Aliyah, she married Shane Gregoire, last December 2024 in Mumbai.

The couple's reception was attended by Aliyah's close friends Khushi Kapoor, Agastya Nanda, Suhana Khan along with actors Naga Chaitanya, Sobhita Dhulipala, Abhishek Bachchan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bobby Deol.