Born in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh, Anurag Kashyap never thought that he would make his career in Bollywood. With a desire to become a scientist, he came to Delhi University, but suddenly he turned to Bollywood. The road to Bollywood was not easy for Anurag Kashyap, who made headlines from the movie Black Friday. Here are excerpts from one of his speeches:
Film debut
I was born in a small town in Uttar Pradesh. In those days there was not a single cinema theater. I never thought that I would make films. Wanted to be a scientist. Came to Delhi and got a bachelor's degree in science. At the same time I fell in love with a girl, but she rejected my love. I got frustrated, my studies were disturbed. A film festival was going on in those days, went there to spend time. I watched many movies. I had never seen so many films before. My perspective on films changed. Then I felt that the film is not meant to be just a dance song or a love story. I thought that a lot can be done through cinema. I decided at the same time that I would make films.
Ran away from home
I wanted to pursue a career in films, but the family did not like my decision. I am from a family of engineers and teachers. I had no film background. The family members were angry. 20 years ago, Bollywood was occupied by a few film families. It was not easy for a new person to succeed. I was 18 years old. I wanted to become an actor, wanted to write scripts for films. If the family did not agree, then he fled to Mumbai. The path was difficult. I wanted to write good stories for films, but people were not ready to make films on subjects that do not earn much. Now I was getting into the reality of life. Needed money to live. To do something in Mumbai, you need a place to live, food to feed and money for it. I did not work in films, so I turned to television.
Father's lesson
Meanwhile my father arrived in Mumbai looking for me. He was very worried about me. He told me that you had come to work in Mumbai films, so show me doing something in films, why are you wasting time in television? In those days people used to make fun of my family in Gorakhpur. Everyone used to say that look, his son has gone to Mumbai to become a hero. I moved to Bollywood after meeting my father. At the age of 22, I wrote the script for the film Satya. The film was based on the true love story, it did not have big stars. It was shot at the actual location. The film was made after two years of hard work. The praise of the film gave me courage to work further. Big stars and box office success matter a lot in Bollywood. You made a very good film, but if you do not have a big star in it and the film does not earn well, then your importance ends. Such films are shown only at the film festival and later come on TV. There is no place for good films in the theater.
rough day
At that time I was a young man. Was a newbie in Bollywood. I wanted to work in my style. I decided that I would make my film without a big star. We did not have much money. But we wanted to make films on good and real issues. I did not wish to earn too much. We made the film Black Friday, but it got banned. The film was based on the Mumbai terror attacks. I met the censor board. Then I thought that we live in a democratic country, but we do not have complete freedom to say our words. There was a lot of anger inside me. Meanwhile, a pirated copy of the film hit the market. People all over the world saw the film and liked it. Meanwhile, I started working on my third film, but the film stopped in the middle for some reason. The fourth film was also not released. Those seven years were really a struggle.
New hope
My films were good. My films were being praised in the review, but the box office earnings were not good. When Hollywood director Danny Boyle came to India, he saw Black Friday. He was impressed with my work. He publicly stated that he was inspired to create 'Slumdog' after watching Black Friday. That was when I was exposed to the Internet. We started a debate about films on a blog. Then I realized that I am not alone, there are many great screenwriters, actors and directors in the country who want to make films on good subjects, but due to lack of resources, they are unable to do so. I strangled my thoughts in the blog everyday. The caravan grew, many good people came along. We made small budget films, which were included in film festivals held abroad. Those films were highly praised. I was joined by many skilled youth who were willing to work without pay. They lived in my flat free, cooked and ate food in my kitchen. I couldn't pay them, but living and eating was free. We made many short films, they got awards. There is not much money in my account, but I am happy that I am making films according to my conditions and mood.
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