Mukkabaaz actor Rajesh Tailang: Godfathers may help, but one can’t survive without talent in Bollywood

Giving credit to Anurag Kashyap for his role in Mukkabaaz, Rajesh Tailang said the director is known for bringing fresh faces to the mainstream cinema. Mukkabaaz released on on January 12 and also stars Vineet Kumar Singh

Written by Shreyasi Jha | New Delhi | Updated: January 15, 2018 7:18 pm, http://indianexpress.com/artic...rag-kashyap-5025644/

Receiving accolades for his performance in Anurag Kashyap’s Mukkabaaz, actor Rajesh Tailang believes nepotism in Bollywood makes good actors suffer too much. “I think, nepotism is more prevalent in Indian politics than in any other field. Yes, it also plagues the B-town as the established bunch of people in the industry bring new faces from their own clan which results in exceeding the amount of struggle for the aspirants with no Godfather. The newcomers have to wait for years,” said Tailang in an exclusive interview with indianexpress.com.

Tailang, a popular face in Indian theatre, however, asserts one needs to have the talent to stay longer in the film industry. “It’s also certain that if you have no talent, you can’t survive. Films are pure business and if you are not able to deliver, you will get vanished,” said Tailang, who made his acting debut with the famous TV series Shanti in 1995.

Giving credit to Anurag Kashyap for his role in Mukkabaaz, Tailang said the director is known for bringing fresh faces to the mainstream cinema. “I know him for a long time now but this is my first movie with Anurag. Though I was offered a role in Gangs of Wasseypur, things did not work out. Getting cast in any of Anurag Kashyap’s movies is an actor’s dream and I am not an exception.”

Tailang plays the role of protagonist’s father in Mukkabaaz. “The role I played is of a man who could not achieve much in life. He is rigid and bitter in nature. Initially, he outrightly says no to his son’s decision of becoming a boxer. But gradually he gets convinced by his son. The character and his life-situation give ample space for black humour,” said Tailang.

Sharing details of his future projects, Tailang said, “I am doing Neeraj Pandey’s Aiyaari (based on Martyr Captain Bikarm Batra’s life) and Hansal Mehta’s Omerta (with Rajkumar Rao in lead role).”

Mukkabaaz hit theatres on January 12 and is doing decent business.