Overview

• In July 2025, while promoting Maalik, Rao spoke across multiple outlets about his early experience on Gangs of Wasseypur
• He was originally cast as a parallel lead alongside Nawazuddin Siddiqui before final script revisions dramatically slashed his screen time
• Rao and Siddiqui traveled to Wasseypur with writer Zeeshan Qadri to record local accents and absorb the milieu for their characters
• Despite feeling disappointed by the cut and facing low-budget shooting conditions, Rao chose to remain in the project to collaborate with Kashyap
• Anurag Kashyap’s subsequent recommendation of Rao to Hansal Mehta for Shahid became a pivotal turning point in the actor’s career