Photo: SAT
By Neeraj Nanda
Melbourne, 14 August: Controversial Indian filmmaker, Anurag Kashyap has said social media is manipulated and controlled by those who control our lives. Anurag was speaking during a master class with the media and film buffs during the ongoing International Film Festival of Melbourne 2016 (IFFM-2016).
The veteran and vocal filmmaker, whose ‘Udta Punjab’ recently faced the wrath of the Indian film censors, was candid and answered questions in a local café near the popular St. Kilda beach on a variety of subjects affecting the Indian film industry, religious fundamentalism, and new technologies.
Anurag Kashyap, who is famous for making new wave cinema in Bollywood, like Dev D (2009), Udaan (2010), Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 (2012) and The Lunchbox (2013), says “Feel good movies do not make the world a better place.”
Anurag’s Udta Punjab which quickly found its way to the internet once he won the case against the Indian censors, remains one of the most downloaded movies in recent times despite it doing well at the box office.
“It was a different type of case as the censor people called us and wanted to cut so and so scenes, dialogues, names etc. but gave nothing in written so as to avoid a challenge.
“It was because of the coming elections in Punjab, the censor was playing a game with us,” he said.
The director who also acts in a coming movie ‘Akira’, feels concerned about religious intolerance. “There is so much religious insecurity in the country and fundamentalism has spread all over the world,” he said.
About himself as a filmmaker, he says, “I am not good at anything else. I write my scripts by hand while traveling.”
Answering to a question on piracy and new technologies by SAT, Anurag said, “People in the film industry download movies themselves and complain about piracy. They download 60-70 percent of the movies. How can they fight piracy?”.
Anurag disclosed he was ready to start shooting a horror movie with Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Gangs of Wasseypur Part 1 and Part 2) and Radhika Apte (Parched).
– SAT News Service.
