Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap said that success "destroys" creativity, as it traps artistes in a bracket where they end up attempting to repeat the formula of success. Kashyap, one of the strongest champions of indie cinema in India, said that the trend of mounting "formulaic" films for quick money leads to disastrous results. In an interview with Humans of Cinema, Anurag Kashyap said that when one film earns a lot of money, the creativity of the entire industry "falls". The filmmaker, citing Marathi blockbuster Sairat as an example, said, "I have often seen that success destroys more than it breeds. When Sairat made Rs 100 cr, I told Nagraj Majule, who is my friend, that Marathi cinema is now finished. Because now no one will want to tell stories, they would want to earn Rs 100 cr." The filmmaker then explained how the Hindi film industry is also going through a creative crisis of sorts, where makers are interested in chasing money and not creating memorable films. "The problem with our Hindi film industry is that they now want to earn Rs 500-800 cr, not make films. For that, you have to first dumb down your films, sacrifice your story. And it's not like it is an original voice, all follow a formula and copy each other. Now, everyone is imitating the pan-India trend. If you watch 10 pan-India films, all will look the same. This never benefits the health of the industry as the films then start to bomb in huge numbers. One or two will work, then everyone will copy, and then everything will flop." Anurag said that it is the lack of a Rs 100 cr hit that has given his career "longevity". Kashyap added, "All those filmmakers, whose films do record-breaking business, are eventually stuck in a bracket where the producers, the audience, the hero, everyone expects the same. Then you start making formulas, copy your own style and eventually fall flat." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Disney+ Hotstar (@disneyplushotstar) The filmmaker also spoke about the challenge that smaller films face when it comes to showcasing. Kashyap said a big film will always get more screens, whereas a smaller movie will struggle to remain in cinemas beyond the weekend. "When Dibakar Banaerjee's LSD 2 released, I wasn't here. By the time I came back, the film wasn't playing anywhere in India and the week wasn't even over. When a 12th Fail works, there is a Vidhu Vinod Chopra behind it who won't let the film be taken down. He puts all his might ki ye film utregi nahi. If there are two shows, the film will run on these two shows, main utarne nahin dunga," he added. On the work front, the filmmaker is awaiting the theatrical release of his next film Kennedy, starring Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone. The film is likely to be released this year, after having premiered at Cannes in 2023.
