Saying no was out of the question when Saali Mohabbat came Anurag Kashyap’s way. After all, the Radhika Apte and Divyenndu-starrer was among the first few productions of designer Manish Malhotra, who is among his close friends. Couple that with the taut script of director Tisca Chopra’s howdunnit, and Kashyap was sold on the idea of featuring in a cameo.

“What drew me to Saali Mohabbat was, first and foremost, the script. I’ve also had a wonderful experience working with Tisca earlier on the short film Chhuri [2017]. So, the opportunity to collaborate again was an immediate yes,” he says. Then there was, of course, Malhotra.

“I’ve admired Manish since my first film Satya [1998], where he styled Urmila [Matondkar]. I have turned to him without hesitation whenever I’ve been unsure about what to wear for a major event. When he told me he was launching his production house and that Saali Mohabbat would be among his first films, there was no question of saying no.”

Kashyap, who enjoys his time in front of the camera as much as behind it, says sharing screen space with Divyenndu, Anshumaan Pushkar, and Sharat Saxena was a delight. But he has one minor grouse with the Zee5 movie.

“Unfortunately, I did not get to work with Radhika this time,” rues Kashyap, who directed her in Sacred Games and a short film in Lust Stories (2020).