Anurag Kashyap says he can’t make a film like Ugly or Dev.D as they won’t pass the censors: ‘Political scenario has changed’

Anurag Kashyap says that today he cannot even make the films he created earlier in his career, as the political scenario has changed and such films would no longer pass the CBFC.

Anurag Kashyap says he can't direct a film starring SRK.

Anurag Kashyap, as always, has never shied away from confronting the censor board head-on. Throughout his career, he has fought not only for his own films but also for his contemporaries and peers, ensuring their creative visions are not mutilated by censorship. In a recent conversation with Galatta Plus, Anurag reflected on how much the landscape has changed compared to a decade ago, when filmmakers collectively battled for a film like Udta Punjab. Today, he admits, even he cannot make the films he once did, as they would never clear the CBFC.

“Today, when I make films, I get things like, why don’t I make a film like Ugly, or Dev.D, or even Gangs of Wasseypur. The thing is, I can’t make it. It won’t pass. It won’t clear the censors. The political scenario has changed. Censorship has changed. Everything has changed. Plus, it’s being run by corporates. Everything is being run by people who don’t have skin in the game,” he said.

Anurag Kashyap also praised the southern film industries for their consistent innovation. “Why Tamil cinema is great? Why is Malayalam cinema great? Why is Telugu cinema also constantly innovating? They also have these new, low-budget films, I’m not talking about the big ones. I’m talking about films like The Girlfriend, Court: State vs. a Nobody types of films. They’re low-budget, right? Why are they flying? I’m saying it’s because the producer has skin in the game. It’s the old school, where people invested in cinema are producing films. This is not true in Hindi cinema.”

When asked whether he would ever want to direct Shah Rukh Khan, Kashyap was candid: “No, I can’t. Because his fan base is huge. Even if he agrees to adhere to my sensibilities, I still can’t do it, because what happens is, when there is a massive fan base, if you disappoint them, they will murder the director.”

Also Read | Hansal Mehta recalls how Omerta was saved by Vivek Agnihotri from censorship: ‘He fought the most with the censor board

Anurag Kashyap is currently gearing up for his forthcoming film Bandar, starring Bobby Deol, which recently had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Early reviews from the festival described Bandar as a highly provocative film, with some critics interpreting its narrative as controversial, particularly in relation to the #MeToo movement. Some even suggested that the film could be read as “anti-MeToo,” leading to online backlash and debates, with certain netizens questioning the film’s intent and calling it “pro-men.”

In an exclusive conversation with SCREEN, the filmmaker addressed the speculation directly, clarifying the film’s themes. “It has nothing to do with MeToo. See, when a film is about a false rape accusation case, those conversations happen. But MeToo is about power, somebody using a position of power to do something. This film has nothing to do with that kind of powerplay, or that kind of sexual angle, so it has nothing to do with MeToo,” he explained.

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