'Disgusted' by Hindi cinema, Anurag Kashyap plans to leave Mumbai
Acclaimed filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has decided to "move out of Mumbai" as he is increasingly disillusioned with the Hindi film industry. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, he opened up about his frustration with the current state of Bollywood and how it has "sucked out" his love for filmmaking. He slammed talent management agencies for prioritizing stardom over acting skills and exploiting young actors.
Kashyap criticized rising costs and profit-driven filmmaking
Kashyap expressed concerns over the rising costs of filmmaking, which he said, was due to inflated salaries, among other things. He said, "Now it is difficult for me to go out and experiment as it comes at a cost, which makes my producers think about profit and margins." "Right from the beginning, before the film starts, it becomes about how to sell it. So, the joy of filmmaking is sucked out."
'I am so disappointed and disgusted by my own industry'
Kashyap added, "That's why I want to move out of Mumbai next year. I am going to the South. I want to go where there is stimulation. Otherwise, I will die as an old man." "I am so disappointed and disgusted by my own industry. I am disgusted by the mindset." He also emphasized how a film like Manjummel Boys would never be made in Hindi cinema but, if successful, would be remade in Hindi. "They won't try anything new."
Kashyap accused agencies of exploiting young actors
The Gangs of Wasseypur director also slammed talent management agencies for perpetuating a toxic culture among new actors. He said, "The first-generation actors and the really entitled ones are very painful to deal with. Nobody wants to act—they all want to be stars." "They won't send them to workshops but to the gym—it's all glam-glam." He accused them of milking young actors for money, putting a wall between them and filmmakers, and ditching them when they don't deliver.
'My actors, whom I thought of as friends, ghost you...'
On a personal note, Kashyap also expressed his disappointment with actors he once thought were friends. "My actors, whom I thought of as friends, ghost you because they want to be a certain way. That happens mostly here; it doesn't happen in Malayalam cinema," he said. Notably, the 52-year-old filmmaker made his acting debut in the Malayalam film Rifle Club opposite rapper Hanumankind, recently.
