The problem with K-town is the attitude: Anurag Khasyap

Recently, Chennai welcomed renowned filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who was in the city for a special screening of his latest film Raman Raghav 2.0. Organised by Tamil Studios, the event brought together many film buffs and fans of parallel cinema, including writers like Charu Nivedita who were present for the viewing — which was followed by an interaction with the audience.

The Dev D director was shot with numerous questions about the film, Kollywood, his personal life and more — nevertheless Anurag, who looked exhausted, answered them relentlessly!

He reveals that he actually wanted to make a period film on the psychopath Raman, but dropped the idea citing budget constraints — “The problem with making a period film in India is that one has to recreate the entire era. However, it is easy in other countries like Europe where the landscape stays pretty much the same over decades. Here we destroy everything and hold no respect for our heritage.”

Anurag  also spoke about how he managed to make the film with limited resources, “The pub scenes  in the film were actually shot in my office! Yes. All you get to see in a pub is lights. So, I just shot with an angle where the lights kept hitting the camera.”

Being an ardent follower of Tamil cinema, he has always batted for the support of Kollywood. However, when asked what would be his critical take on the industry here, he opines, “There are many good directors in Tamil. But I don’t know why  I am not able to see two good movies from the same filmmaker here.”

He also remarked that Tamil cinema stays rooted to its ethnicity,   and the reason it doesn’t travel beyond boundaries is due to the distribution system — “If Subramaniapuram had been sent to film festivals, it would have journeyed way more than even my films did! However, producers in Tamil cinema do not want to send them. I also tried to send one of Bala’s films, but the producer had issues,” he opines.

Anurag further added, “The production house is afraid that a film will get leaked, if it is sent for fests. So, they go for the theatrical release first. But the irony is that festivals won’t take in films that have been released already! Vetri’s (Director Vetrimaaran) Visaaranai was able to do that because he held back the theatrical release — as  he was one of the producers of the film. If filmmakers start controlling their films, then Tamil cinema will go places. The problem with Tamil cinema is not the films; it is the attitude.”

Talking about censorship, the Udta Punjab producer feels it has turned harsh in the last two years. “I use metaphors and symbolisms to get away from censorship; if not for censors, I would talk about everything openly! Actually, I have been straightforward in my previous films. But now over the last couple of years, everything has changed,” he sighs, regretfully.

Answering a question about his experience of working with Mani Ratnam in Yuva, Anurag recalls that it was a terrific learning curve — “No other person has made me write or rewrite as much as he did! He is very particular about every detail of a film. I look forward to my discussions with him.”

The interaction also had its lighter moments. When asked if he would do a romantic movie with Shah Rukh Khan in the lead, Anurag laughs, “Of course I would like to do a movie with SRK, but it wouldn’t really be what you expect. My idea of cinema is ‘this’ and I can only make something like ‘this’!” A fan was quick enough to ask at the end if Anurag has ever loved anyone, and pat came the reply — “Lots of people!”