Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who of course needs no introduction, once said that he likes to make people uncomfortable by putting them into thoughts and this is why he wanted to make films.

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Being an outsider, with zero links in the film industry, he made himself one of the biggest names in the entertainment world. He gave Bollywood its biggest cult classic films like Gangs of Wasseypur. But do you know he was once thrown out of Salman Khan’s film Tere Naam after he asked the actor to grow his chest hair. Well! He really came a long way.

Today, let’s take a look at his journey which is an inspiration to many.

Wanted to become a scientist

Anurag had no plans of becoming a filmmaker or entering Bollywood, rather he wanted to become a scientist and was studying for it. He studied Zoology from Delhi and wanted to win a Nobel prize. However, he gave up on his dreams when he ‘discovered’ his hidden passion and talent.

When he decided to enter Bollywood

It was in 1993 when he realised that he wanted to enter the world of entertainment, however, outsiders were not celebrated in the industry at that time as it was ruled by big Bollywood families.

He was not allowed inside Prithvi theatre

Kashyap when realised that he was not allowed to enter Prithvi Theatre, which was founded by Prithvi Raj Kapoor, he started working as a waiter to just get inside. He started sweeping the stage to spend more time inside the theatre; he also used to write free scripts for people when satellite television had just come in.

Paid Rs 6 to sleep on the footpath

In one of his interviews, the filmmaker revealed that he used to pay Rs 6 to sleep on the footpath during initial days. While speaking to Mashable India’s The Bombay Journey, Kashyap said, “There was a garden in the middle of the Juhu circle back then; it used to be a roundabout without any signals. We used to sleep here, but sometimes they’d kick us out. Then we’d go to the Versova link road, where there was a big footpath. People used to sleep there in a line. But you had to pay Rs 6 to sleep there.”

Did you know that Anurag was thrown out of Tere Naam

The movie Tere Naam, featuring Salman Khan and Bhumika Chawla, gained popularity and was directed by Satish Kaushik. However, initially, Anurag Kashyap was supposed to direct the film. Anurag wrote the script but had to leave the project at Salman Khan's request. Surprisingly, the reason behind Anurag's departure was related to chest hair. Anurag wanted Salman to grow chest hair for authenticity as the character belonged to North India. However, due to this request, there were disagreements, leading to Anurag Kashyap leaving the project. Later, Satish Kaushik took over as the director, and "Tere Naam" went on to become a significant film in Salman Khan's career.