Director’s Cut: Anurag Kashyap Says He Prefers Directing Films Over Acting

Anurag Kashyap dons multiple hats of being a director/producer/presenter and actor as well and now Kashyap and Nagraj Popatrao Manjule teamed up as presenter for Kastoori: The Musk, a film by Vinod Kamle. It is a story about two children whose parents are manual scavenging professionals. 

Anurag is anxiously waiting for his next theatrical release Kennedy neo–noir thriller film. The film has been applauded in various International film festivals and screened in Kolkatta International Film Festival. While talking to The Free Press Journal, he shares, “Kastoori came to me after it was completed and already made. I just came to know that the film had already received the coveted national award yet hasn't got an opportunity to release yet. Owing to lockdown when big films weren’t releasing there wasn’t any chance for small film's to release. We were like such a wonderful film why hasn’t released yet.”

“We took it on us Ranjan Singh my producer of my film Kennedy watched the film and then we showed it to Nagraj who then took it to multiplex. All of us came together and now it’s set to release. This film is set in the community of manual scavengers, those who are clean our gutters. So when their children go to school people feel that stinking smell of gutters is exhaling from their bodies. They are treated as untouchables. Kastoori has that wonderful smell and so these people are looking for Kastoori so that the others may not mistreat them.” he adds on being a presenter.

Anurag agrees that small time filmmakers need muscle power to release films in theatres. As big producers take away theatres easily, “That fight is already there and shall always continue to exist. We are in country where only 1000 films are made in one year and there are only 12000 cinema halls in our country. We can’t do anything about it,” he tells.

Finding a solution so small films also get enough theatres for releasing their films, “I think there is only one solution if we start making many more cinema halls in comparison to the films that are set to release in one year terms. China has around than around 10 lakhs cinema halls. We need space. Our films work mostly on word of mouth publicity thus for our films getting space plays a pivotal role,” he further explains. 

Not many know that Anurag will be seen as a villain down south. “Yes, I play a villain in this South film titled Maharaja. I have acted with Vijay Sethupathi and is directed by Nithilan Swaminathan. My priority is making my own films. I go there as an actor. I like to follow the Captain of the ship so I behave like an obedient student,” he signs off.