Anurag Kashyap vows to avoid mass action movies and big stars: ‘Most filmmakers today rely on stars’

Entertainment News: The trailer of Anurag Kashyap’s upcoming film Nishaanchi was released earlier this month. The film, set in Kanpur, is a crime drama with dark humour, intense violence and rustic music, a style Kashyap is known for in hits like Gangs of Wasseypur and Mukkabaaz. Ahead of its release, the filmmaker spoke to the media about the movie and his career so far.

‘I have already got my due’

The YouTube comments on the Nishaanchi trailer look like messages from a fan club. Many viewers wish the director “finally gets his due”. But Anurag disagrees. “I have got more than my due,” he says, adding, “People think box office success is the only due. If that was the case, I wouldn’t have had such a long career. None of my contemporaries have made as many films as I have in 20 years. So I don’t have complaints.” For him, being able to work freely is proof enough. “I get to make films in my own way. Many directors can’t do that because their projects depend on stars. They also can’t make films on the kind of budget I can,” he explains.

‘Will never make mass action films’

Even though Nishaanchi enters the action genre like Gangs of Wasseypur, its action is realistic and raw, not like the big, flashy fights popular in Bollywood today. “I can’t make those films,” Anurag says. “I don’t understand them. Every scene is just about the hero’s entry. Half the time goes into shooting the hero’s entry. Since the Phantom camera came, you can shoot dust flying in slow motion. There are thousands of shots before the hero even does something. I will never do that. This dislike for mass films is also why he avoids working with big stars. “With stars, you must cater to their fans. Everyone begins to second-guess. It’s not just the director thinking about the audience, the star is too. Everyone wants to stay relevant. Earlier it was about telling a story I believed in. I want to continue like that. But now expectations are different,” he says.

‘Nishaanchi was written to stop questions about Wasseypur 3’

Anurag says he too has felt the weight of expectations, mostly because of the cult following of his 2012 film Gangs of Wasseypur. “It’s gotten out of hand,” he laughs. “If we knew it would become so big, we wouldn’t have made it for free. Now every time I make a film, people complain it’s not Gangs of Wasseypur. I’m tired of people asking when Part 3 is coming. Nishaanchi was written so people would stop asking. There’s much more that can be done in this North Indian space.” Nishaanchi stars Aaishvary Thackeray in a double role, with Monika Panwar and Vedika Pinto. It also features Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Kumud Mishra in key roles. Produced by Amazon MGM Studios and JAR Pictures, in association with Flip Films, the film releases in theatres on 19 September.