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Anurag Kashyap rips into ‘desperate’ Hindi film industry, says ‘insecure’ actors want to be treated like stars

Anurag Kashyap stated that everyone in Bollywood is "desperate" to make a blockbuster film.

Following an uproar over the objectionable post, Kashyap on April 17 had deleted the same from his X account. The filmmaker on April 17 and 19 uploaded an apology video on social media. (Photo: Anurag/ Instagram)

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, known for his critically acclaimed films like Gangs of Wasseypur, Dev.D, and Black Friday, believes that the Indian film industry, particularly Hindi cinema, has become fixated on producing only blockbusters. This obsession, he argues, has created a toxic environment where creativity is compromised and insecurity prevails. In contrast, Kashyap praises the collaborative and humble approach of Malayalam cinema, where filmmakers prioritise passion over profit. As he puts it, “In Malayalam cinema, they don’t think they have to create a blockbuster, they do it because they want to, and they help each other,” highlighting a more desirable model for the film industry.

Kashyap’s experience working on the set of Rifle Club, a Malayalam film, was a refreshing change from the Bollywood norm. He was struck by the camaraderie among the actors, who worked together without the burden of ego or one-upmanship. He said, “Because this beautiful camaraderie that they have there is no one-upmanship there. There was zero one-upmanship among the actors. Everybody was pushing each other (to do their best), and non-stop having fun, and the focus was on food (chuckles) and conversations I think they were so much fun. And then there were filmmakers who I have know for so long… It is about discovering so many people and their way of working, which I tried to imbibe the moment I came back from there… When we were shooting Gangs of Wasseypur. There was one resting van for everybody. Otherwise people would put chairs outside and rest.”

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The rise of streaming platforms has also contributed to the problem, Kashyap argues. “That’s what got lot and instead of focusing on making the film we started focusing on being treated like a star somewhere in Hindi. That happened, I think, with the advent of streaming platforms. The streaming platforms came in and they wanted to make their presence felt and they probably brought in the whole American way of working. Now here what is wrong is that everybody wants to be treated like a star otherwise they feel disrespected. Half the problem in this industry is they feel disrespected,” Kashyap noted.

Also read – Anurag Kashyap on why Bollywood can never be as good as Malayalam cinema: ‘It’s all about money; obsession with box-office crores’

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As a director, Kashyap has experienced the pressures of working within the studio system when he made Bombay Velvet in 2015, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Karan Johar. “The director is a version of being a pimp. You get paid based on who is in. You get paid based on how much it sells for. You get freedom based on that,” he said. This has led him to seek creative freedom outside of the mainstream system. “Now times are so insecure, you are again dealing with individuals who are very insecure because films are not working,” he stated.

The result is a desperate attempt to recreate past successes, rather than taking risks on new stories and ideas. “People are taking 20-year-old film and remaking it or making a sequel of it,” Kashyap lamented. This lack of creativity and originality is a symptom of a larger problem, one that Kashyap believes can only be solved by returning to the basics of storytelling and collaboration.

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