Anurag Kashyap reveals why he HATES watching films in Indian theatres; states, “It destroys my movie-watching experience”

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has been outspoken about his dissatisfaction with Bollywood. Previously, he had expressed his intention to leave the Hindi film industry to explore filmmaking opportunities in the South. In a recent interview with Forbes, he discussed how Indian cinemas have diminished his movie-watching experience, leading him to prefer film festivals for viewing films.

Anurag Kashyap on not liking intervals between films

When questioned about his thoughts on the future of independent cinema, Anurag stated, “I have stopped looking into the future… I can talk about the problems that I face, or that other filmmakers face, I can talk about solutions that I can figure out, but I can’t talk about the future. There are a lot of new things now, like short-format… I wanted to be a filmmaker because I like watching films on the big screen. I watch films at festivals because I hate interruptions caused by intervals back home, and everyone posturing about ‘this is bad for health, this is bad for mind’. It destroys my movie-watching experience.”

Kashyap on supporting other filmmakers

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He further reflected on his role in supporting emerging filmmakers and helping fresh voices establish themselves in the industry. “What if everything goes wrong, what if everything fails? I’ll go back to exactly where I came from. That first day in the city, wanting to make films, standing on the street with a suitcase. But I don’t go further back. I have an absolute love for cinema, and that is regardless… I know that I want to make films all my life. All the other things I did along the way was to support other filmmakers with distinctive voices. If there are more voices, I will have the longevity to keep making films. The more independent voices there are, the easier it will be for me to make films. When I started, there was no ground to play on,” he said.

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Anurag’s most recent film, Kennedy, was well-received at the Cannes Film Festival but has yet to secure a release in India. While he has not directed a film since, he has taken on acting roles in several projects, including Leo, Maharaja, and Viduthalai Part 2.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Anurag Kashyap labels Aaishvary Thackeray ‘hardworking & talented’ ahead of his Bollywood debut