Tale-twister

As we sit in Anurag Kashyap8217;s office in Versova street, a framed photo rests quietly on a wooden shelf. A lean, bare-chested, Ashwathama beats his drum on a stage.

Ready with four releases, Anurag Kashyap is an angry young man no more

As we sit in Anurag Kashyap8217;s office in Versova street, a framed photo rests quietly on a wooden shelf. A lean, bare-chested, Ashwathama beats his drum on a stage. A closer look reveals the young man in the photo is none other than the director sitting behind his grand table, answering incessant phone calls. His new film Dev.D is all set to release next month and Bollywood seems to be excited about it.

Is Dev.D going to be Kashyap mocking Sanjay Leela Bhansali? He8217;d be letting many down if he didn8217;t live up to his reputation. Will he turn Sharat Chandra8217;s tragedy on its head? Will Devdas die? Will Kashyap survive if the box office rejects it and the critics pan it? But Kashyap is at peace. 8220;Four of my films are releasing within the next two months. This is my final outpouring of all the baggage of these years. It8217;s been a long journey,8221; he confesses. Alongside Dev.D, Kashyap has also finished work on another, Gulal, a political drama; Pramod Bhai 23, a short film part of the Mumbai Cutting series and of course, Paanch 8212; the film that nearly led Kashyap down the path of ruin.

We leave his office for the buzzing, youthful, Versova streets. Neon signs, pretty people and tacky candle lit cafeacute;s litter the place. Before I know it, Kashyap leads me to Hakim Alim8217;s Hair and Tattoo Lounge. 8220;Alim and I go back a long way. He was the stylist for Paanch. It was his first film. The film of course didn8217;t work. But he moved on. I am still where I started out,8221; Kashyap says with a cynical smile. But once he gets past the momentary self-pity, he knows he has everything going for himself.

Part of a small clique of young filmmakers and writers in the industry Kashyap is at the forefront of a breakaway from the formula methods in Bollywood. His latest film Dev.D is a contemporary rendition of Sharat Chandra8217;s Devdas. 8220;The film is nothing like the original; it just uses elements from the story. The equivalent of Chandramukhi for example, is a big fan of Madhuri Dixit. So she watches her performances in the movie,8221; he explains. Dev.D, he says is a film about the youth of today. And that obviously includes the fast lives they lead and the many taboos they break. The film is a musical, featuring a whopping 16 songs and found a supporter in Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle, who helped with the photography. Boyle also seems to pay tribute to Kashyap in scenes in his own film. But we won8217;t give that away yet.

8220;In Dev.D you will see a brass band that plays a background observer. This of course is my tribute to the Bosnian master Emir Kusturica. I also pay tribute to Wim Wenders and Fatih Akin. But nobody wants to know that. They8217;ll say he8217;s just showing off.8221;

One wonders whatever happened to the brash arrogant Kashyap, the angry, enfant terrible of Hindi cinema who bad-mouthed filmmakers and critics alike on his unforgiving blog. 8220;One grows with the years. I realised that when people do something they do it with the best intention. And I needn8217;t be the one to judge them,8221; he says.