Much before the Indian audience waited for Bahubali part 2, it was director Anurag Kashyap, who took the plunge to make a two-part film — Gangs of Wasseypur which was released in two instalments. He is that one controversial writer and director who changed the tides in Indian cinema when he directed the film Black Friday about the 1993 bombing and won several awards. T
he director who is known for making films that stay with the audience for their subjects and direction, Anurag has come a long way since his first film Udaan in 2010. He works with new actors and makes them stars – a shining example is Vicky Kaushal who first starred in Masaan which was produced by Anurag and he later regretted not directing it. Meanwhile, the director and actor is now gearing up with his first rom-com, Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat with two newcomers Alaya F and Karan Mehta. The director doesn’t mince his words when he says, “I don’t give a chance to newcomers, I use them so that I can make the film my way.”
Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat revolves around two young people finding love and fighting prejudices, predatory behaviour, homophobia and age differences. In total, the film is about love without pre-existing societal conditions and living that ‘no boundaries in love’ life. The movie is set to release on February 3, this year. “The film talks about love in times of hate and there’s a podcast running in the film with two different stories. I feel love is the only solution to bring change in the environment of hate. Love has the power to bring revolution. All we need at these times is love and acceptance of each other. And this shows how different we are from each other,” says the director.
A still from Almost Pyaar |
When asked if modern love is momentary and if the dynamics of love have changed, the director argues that this is about engraved patriarchy and misogyny. “This is very much our thinking. This point of view makes us the villain. Our thinking is based on our conditioning, we always look at certain facts in our own way. We have grown up this way. We were fighting to become progressive; also we were fighting with our own patriarchy. We were realising our misogyny. In fact, we were fighting with our own homophobia. We always took pride in showing that we are progressive,” opines the Black Friday director.
Further backing the independent ideas of the modern generation, the director says children aren’t like their parents anymore. They fight with their parents’ conditioning as well as with themselves. “Their fight is how they should make their elders realise that they are normal and fine kids. We feel they are not fine. We feel their love is not permanent. We have a different opinion that love needs to be permanent,” says the director who adds that love has no limits. “In our opinion love is about a man and a woman. But their (kids) love is their compassion for anything. They have a love for this earth to survive so these kids are fighting for the climate. They have a love for music, in fact, they have a love for everything. They are struggling hard with us to be themselves,” he believes.
Moving away we ask him about the delay in the release of the film than planned earlier, Anurag says the lockdown delayed the film followed by Dobaara’s preparations and release and his deteriorating health condition played the villain.
On casting newcomers for his film over stars he says newcomers are more responsible. “I needed a responsible newcomer [teenager] who has a wide range of exhibiting his craft.” So you mean to say you can’t work your way stars, we quip, “When actors become big they want their films to be huge hits and blockbusters. Even if they love the script they only think if the film will be a hit or not.” Is that pressure wrong? “Brad Pitt's Babylon didn’t work but he is still a good actor. The stars who are dependent on hit films are not actors. I agree that audiences get into theatres for stars. But they need not bother about the opening collection,” emphasises the director.
