Anurag Kashyap: The Architect of a New Language in Indian Cinema

‘Mumbai ka king kaun? Bhiku Mhatre’— this is not merely a dialogue, rather a reminder of an era-changing moment. This dialogue from the film ‘Satya’, released in 1998, was on everyone’s lips at that time. And the film single-handedly shook the entire Bollywood. After this film by Ram Gopal Varma, Bollywood cinema was never the same again. Through this crime thriller, Hindi cinema entered an entirely new era. And Anurag Kashyap was one of those who helped build this era. Anurag was one of the screenplay writers of this film, which received the status of a cult classic.

Anurag is a postmodern storyteller in Indian cinema. Through an extraordinary rollercoaster ride, Anurag has written those narratives. I too have grown up from childhood to adulthood with those films of Anurag as a regular companion. Sometimes I have been fascinated, and occasionally even annoyed. But I have always tried to understand what kind of person this man behind the screen is! Sometimes I understood him, and sometimes I found a person surrounded by intense mystery.

Although the beginning was with ‘Satya’, Anurag did not stop there. After that, films like ‘Kaun’, ‘Shool’, ‘Jung’, or ‘Nayak’ also carried Anurag’s name in their screenplay and dialogues. However, these were the preparation phase of filmmaker Anurag. The real journey began in 2003 with the direction of the film ‘Paanch’. ‘Paanch’ was actually the name of a cruel tragedy. This brilliant film never got a theatrical release because it did not receive clearance from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Several years later, I watched it on YouTube in a poor-quality print.

This film was far ahead of its time. The story revolves around the disappointment, failure, and crisis of the members of a band group. But more than the story itself, the storytelling style or the way the story was told is more memorable. Which also reveals Anurag’s artistic vision.

The following year, Anurag made the film ‘Black Friday’ based on the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts. This film too had to face legal complications. However, eventually, the audience got to watch this film, and it was also widely praised by critics.

Another underrated film of Anurag is ‘No Smoking’. In this film too, the dark and humorous Anurag can be found completely. However, this film was also not watched by many people. This movie, which was ahead of its time, could not even be understood by many viewers. However, through the making of these films, Anurag tried to reach the doors of his own soul. These films carried the indication that, in the future, Anurag was going to open a new and completely original door of art.

Anurag’s first commercial breakthrough was ‘Dev.D’, released in 2009. It was a modern adaptation of Devdas. Through a new kind of screenplay, acting, and filmmaking, Anurag presented Devdas in a completely new way. By blending a classic story with the postmodern era, this masterpiece created by Anurag was another major shock to Bollywood's conventional cinematic mindset. Along with becoming commercially successful, this film also introduced Anurag differently among ordinary audiences. It made people understand that he was not like everyone else.

Anurag’s next two films were Gulaal and The Girl in Yellow Boots. Both films were filled with Anurag's individuality. Two completely original films.

Then came ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, the film that changed the entire structure of Bollywood. The second turning point of Bollywood cinema after Satya. Through this film, Bollywood seemed to move forward several decades in a single leap. In terms of filmmaking, storytelling, and technical aspects, it was a bigger revolution than Satya.

Such a film had never been made in Bollywood before, and not even after. Gangs of Wasseypur itself feels like a separate genre. Before this, there was not even an idea in Bollywood that a film could be made in such a way.

This film is an extraordinary example of telling a story through layers and guerrilla filmmaking. Through this film, a wave of new stars also emerged under Anurag's guidance. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Pankaj Tripathi, Richa Chadha, and Huma Qureshi built their positions through this very film.

After Gangs of Wasseypur, Anurag has made many more films, but he could not surpass Wasseypur in any of them. However, there is a 'but' here. And that is his ‘Ugly’. For many people, not Wasseypur but Ugly is Anurag’s best creation. Although personally, my preference will remain with Wasseypur.

Wasseypur is not only an exceptional film, but Anurag’s personal philosophy of life is also reflected in this film. The brutally honest and Dostoevskian perspective towards life that Anurag nurtures has largely emerged in this film. Standing far away from the tendency of showing stories by adding colors to them, this film has inspired many wannabe filmmakers of later times. This is basically the classical Anurag Kashyap!

It may sound somewhat exaggerated, but the reality is that even if Anurag had not made any other film before or after Gangs of Wasseypur, his position in the history of Indian cinema would have been permanently secured. Such cult classic films appear only once or twice after several decades.

Once, in a television program, actor Piyush Mishra said about Anurag that it is very important for a country to have one Anurag Kashyap, but if there are two, it creates imbalance. This statement is not false at all. Those who follow Anurag beyond cinema will understand the essence of this statement properly.

Anurag is a person who walks outside the mainstream, opposes the establishment, and questions power. Such personalities have always been uncomfortable for the system. Such people can change familiar and smooth paths within a moment and make the environment uncomfortable. By taking someone like Nawazuddin Siddiqui as a hero, he can challenge the long-established hero-villain binary or the concept of the so-called handsome hero.

Anurag is not just a craftsman who makes films. Anurag is also an excellent viewer and reader. Anurag continues to watch a huge number of classic and contemporary films. He also provides support to filmmakers. By regularly presenting and promoting new films and independent filmmakers, he has already established a separate trend through these works.

For example, recently, after watching the Bangladeshi film ‘Delupi’, he took responsibility for presenting it. It is not that the filmmaker contacted him; rather, he himself contacted those associated with the film. Therefore, outside the identity of a filmmaker, Anurag is continuing his work in many other ways as well.

Personally, my belief is that Anurag’s identity as a reader has subtly influenced his cinematic language. Anurag’s studies are extensive. Here too, like cinema, there is a combination of classical and contemporary studies in his reading. However, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s ‘Crime and Punishment’ is one of his favorite books. This preference alone is enough to reveal Anurag’s psychological inclination. In films like Wasseypur, No Smoking, Raman Raghav 2.0, or Ugly, we get glimpses of a similar psychological journey.

Anurag wants to capture this psychological tension within reality. He is not always successful. However, when he succeeds, Anurag becomes unstoppable. At that moment, Anurag remains beyond everyone’s reach.

This article has been translated from Bengali into English by Md Rabbi Islam.

Hasnat Soyeb is a writer and journalist.

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