Anurag Kashyap defends Sandeep Vanga; calls out bias against Ranbir
When filmmaker Anurag Kashyap posted a photo with Animal director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, calling him a "misunderstood" filmmaker, it shocked many on social media. It even prompted questions from his daughter Aaliyah and peers alike. Now, in a recent interview, Kashyap opened up about why he empathizes with Vanga, noting that he himself had felt similarly misunderstood until just a few years ago.
'He is an honest person': Kashyap empathized with Vanga
In a recent interview with YouTuber Janice Sequeira, Kashyap revealed his empathy for Vanga, citing his own experiences of backlash for films like Dev D, Paanch, Black Friday, and Gangs Of Wasseypur. "I am coming from a place where I have been cancelled a lot," he said. "It is very easy for people to cancel someone but if you have a problem...talk to them instead of attacking them...So I met him and shared the post. He is an honest person."
He praised 'Animal,' especially Ranbir Kapoor's performance
Kashyap expressed his admiration for certain aspects of Animal, including Ranbir Kapoor's performance. He acknowledged that the film's second half was "problematic," but admired Vanga's determination by saying, "But what I liked most was that a stubborn filmmaker went ahead and made an adult film of 3 hours and 25 minutes." "It takes me straight back to Bombay Velvet. It was almost 3 hours long and I couldn't fight for it...I learnt that being ziddi (stubborn)...is not a bad thing."
'He [Kapoor] did it with all his conviction...'
Kashyap defended Vanga, expressing his preference for dealing with honesty. He pointed out that many people who present themselves as right or feminist are often posturing. "I'd rather deal with a complicated but an honest person." He further added, "Why did the film become difficult? Because everybody's favorite [Kapoor] played the role and he did it with all his conviction rather than being politically correct." "He went all out to play a person that was problematic all the way."
Kashyap's upcoming projects and recent appearances
Meanwhile, on the professional front, Kashyap recently graced the screens as the formidable antagonist in the Vijay Sethupathi starrer Maharaja. The Tamil-language crime drama film—directed by Nithilan Saminathan—was released on June 14, emerging as the fourth highest-grossing Tamil film of 2024. He also appeared as a villain in the Disney+ Hotstar series Bad Cop. Additionally, he is preparing for the release of his directorial project Kennedy, which stars Sunny Leone and Rahul Bhat.
