Kennedy director Anurag Kashyap recalled one of the ugliest phases of his career that saw him slip into a deep, dark abyss where he drank profusely and suffered from depression.
In a recent interaction with The Washington Post, the filmmaker, who has delivered some of Indian cinema's finest movies and shows and is one of the most recognised faces internationally, spoke about how the controversy that broke out following the release of Saif Ali Khan-Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub-starrer Tandav, resulted in his adaptation of author Suketu Mehta's acclaimed Maximum City, getting shelved.
Kashyap shares, “It was my best work. I’ve never done such honest, important work.”
Controversy around objectionable content featuring Lord Shiva in a scene picturised on Ayyub's character in Tandav, drew a lot of political ire for streaming platform Amazon Prime Video. Fearing political backlash, Netflix had distanced itself from Kashyap's adaptation, leading to the project getting unceremoniously shelved. Although Kashyap maintains that there was nothing specific told to him by the streaming giant. He presumes that the written material might have been too stirring or he was precieved as trouble for the OTT platform.
But it certainly took a toll on the Gangs of Wasseypur filmmaker's mental health and well-being as he took to alcohol and drank profusely, leading him into depression. In the meanwhile, Kashyap reveals that he also suffered two heart attacks. He shares that Maximum City was where he had invested a lot of time and efforts as a maker.
Speaking further about how OTT platforms have lost steam alike social media, Kashyap does not mince words in voicing his displeasure. He says, “Streaming was finally the space I was waiting for. The disappointment is it was supposed to be a revolution, but it was not. Like social media, it was supposed to empower people, but it became a tool.”
Kashyap and his frequent collaborator Vikramaditya Motwane were the first to embrace the OTT revolution with Sacred Games, an official adaptation of Vikram Chandra's best-seller. With Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the leads, the show remains one of the most popular series to have emerged from India.
