Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap addressed criticism about his recent film performance, admitting even ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ incurred losses. He stated his movies often find success post-release, with audiences discovering them online rather than in theatres. Kashyap also detailed production challenges for ‘Dobaaraa,’ ‘Almost Pyaar,’ and ‘Choked,’ citing issues with permissions and producer departures.
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap recently reacted to criticism about not delivering a hit film in the past decade. He also admitted that even his cult classic Gangs of Wasseypur had suffered losses, but added that his movies often find success only after their time.
Says his films succeed after their time
In conversation with Digital Commentary, Kashyap said, “Meri film ne ek ticket bhi nahi bhecha tabhi unka nuksaan jo hai na saal ki 80 percent films jo flop hoti hai usse kum hai.” (Even if my film didn’t sell a single ticket, their loss is still less than the 80 percent of films that flop every year).Elaborating further, he added, “In fact, it was a massive flop. According to Viacom18 Motion Pictures’ final figures, it incurred a loss of Rs 8 crore. None of my films has been a hit. They succeed after their time. This generation has not seen any of my movies in theatres; they watched them by downloading them from the internet. So all these people who ask why I am not making movies or where I went, I want them to show me tickets proving that they watched my films in theatres. If I went away, it’s because of them.”
On challenges while making Dobaaraa and Almost Pyaar
In the same interview, he spoke about his other films like Dobaaraa and Almost Pyaar With DJ Mohabbat. He shared, “One story was from North, and the other from Mumbai. It wasn’t inspired by anything. However, I couldn’t tell the story properly. Secondly, after we shot a bit, I left India for some reason. I had problems. Then we couldn’t shoot because of Covid, and afterwards, the producer left the project. Then we sold everything and finished the film somehow because two newcomers were involved in it.”
On issues faced during Choked
Talking about Choked, he added, “News footage showing the atmosphere of what was going on during the time of demonetisation was of great importance in the movie. That’s what made the film complete. When we were making the film’s rough cut, we had taken permission for everything. By the time the film was completed, all the permissions had been taken away from us. No one except on channel allowed us to use their footage.”
