Bollywood needs to get rid of mediocrity: Kashyap

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who has helmed hard-hitting films like Gangs of Wasseypur, feels that the Hindi film industry needs to pull up its socks as regional cinema is “threatening” the industry and even Hollywood may “take over” the national market with its dubbed version of films.

“The more regional cinema will threaten us, Bollywood will work harder. We are threatened from everywhere because we are more mediocre as compared to everybody else. We have to get rid of our mediocrity and pull up our socks and make better films,” said Kashyap.

“Apart from regional films, Hollywood will definitely take over because they have started dubbing everything. We have to start making better content,” he added.

Regional cinema, which has always been high on content, has also now started to be a money spinner at the box office. With films like Sairat (Marathi), Thithi (Kannada) and Kammatti Paadam (Malayalam) among others, it is coming into spotlight in a big way. “Sometimes you need stars in the west... (But) when the idea is bigger, you go for a newcomer.

 In Hollywood, they will go for a newcomer because they believe in the idea. Here, when the idea is bigger, they go for the star because they don’t believe in the idea... It’s a star-driven market,” he said.

The filmmaker also doesn’t “enjoy” controversy. “In this country, people can’t deal with honesty... I am not a person who looks for controversy. I don’t enjoy controversy so much. Today, everybody has an opinion, and in a sea of opinions, it doesn’t matter,” said Anurag.

“I want to live my life and focus on work and my family. I am 43 now and I have seen a lot in life. My entire focus is on my own happiness,” added the helmer of Bombay Velvet, which failed to elicit the response he had expected.

Kashyap said his journey in the industry has been “quite a roller coaster ride”. “It feels good and I would not like to change anything about my journey. It’s quite satisfying if I get to do what I want to, I am happy. I am my own boss,” he added.

He is currently busy promoting his film Raman Raghav 2.0, which narrates the story of serial killer Raman Raghav, who went on a murder spree in Mumbai in the 1960s. It features Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the notorious serial-killer alongside Vicky Kaushal, who plays a police officer.

Kashyap also admitted his fascination with the crime genre. “I enjoy making crime films. I, as a director, never left that space. I am fascinated by crime,” he said. The psychological-thriller, is set to hit theatres on June 24. 

Kashyap, whose latest production, Udta Punjab is facing trouble  for being an ‘honest’ tale, calls the CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani, a “dictatorial man”, who makes him experience what it is to live in North Korea. “I always wondered what it felt like to live in North Korea... Ab to plane pakadney ki bhi zaroorat nahin,” Kashyap tweeted, alluding to the dictatorial rule in North Korea.