‘Manmarziyaan is my take on a potboiler’: Anurag Kashyap reveals his idea of romance and more

Anurag Kashyap is probably in one of the best phases of his career. His web series Sacred Games as well as one of the shorts, which he has helmed as part of the anthology Lust Stories, have got positive reviews. His performance as the antagonist in the recent Tamil thriller Imaikkaa Nodigal has been appreciated. The 45-year-old’s last directorial stint Mukkabaaz (2017) struck a chord with the audience for showcasing the trials and tribulations of a sportsman, who dares to take on the system. Now, the maverick filmmaker is gearing up for the release of his forthcoming movie Manmarziyaan, starring Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu and Vicky Kaushal. As we settle down for a chat, Anurag says, “My Tamil film is getting good reviews. I’m only getting acting offers.” 

However, in the same breath he adds, “I hate acting. I only want to direct. Someone had once told me, ‘Anurag, tu acting karega na, toh tu aur tera producer dono paise kamayenge. Tu direct karta hain, phir bhi paise nahin kamata.’ On that note, we begin our conversation and he tells us how cinema gives him a better perspective about life and why, in reality, he is a far cry from the aggressive filmmaker that he is made out to be. Excerpts…

What appealed to you about Manmarziyaan? 

The character of Rumi played by Taapsee Pannu. We like love stories and aspire to have one in our lives. But I don’t believe most of that. Manmarziyaan is something that I believe in because it shows how people behave in love and how indecisive they are.

So, what’s your idea of romance? 

The most amazing thing is the quest for it. Love isn’t there, we romance the idea of it. And everything else is included in that journey.

l Dev D, which released in 2009, was a romantic musical. Your forthcoming film is also being termed as one. So, was it like homecoming for you? 

Both the movies are different from each other. If I would say in filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan’s words, ‘That was Dev’s story, this is Paro’s story.’ But I think it’s more than that. I don’t like to define things. We simplify things for ourselves by putting them in words that are understandable. I like things to be complex. And I would want people to talk about it rather than define it in one word.

All the characters in your films are quite angst-ridden. Do they come from a deeply personal space? 

It’s not like that. I make crime films but that doesn’t mean I commit crime. I’m actually a peaceful person. I’m more peaceful as compared to other people who make lovely movies. 

This is your second collaboration with Aanand L Rai after Mukkabaaz. How was the experience as both of you have different sensibilities? 

It’s been good. I wanted to make Mukkabaaz, he wanted to make Manmarziyaan. We read each other’s scripts and decided let’s do both. As for our sensibilities, I never think about them. I connect with Aanand and always tell him whether I like his films or not. Aanand L Rai has been appreciative of my work. I enjoy a massive support system in the industry among the directors. I feel fearless while making my films because I know that tomorrow if no studio or producer will stand by me, the directors will. I get a great sense of security from Aanand. I know I will be allowed to be myself as a creative person while working with him because he gives me immense breathing space. And that gives me a lot more confidence to explore things because Manmarziyaan was his idea. Kanika Dhillon wrote it, it went to two sets of people before it came to me. I was clear that I would give it my own sensibility and interpretation. So, I changed the cast first and then the music.

Music plays a pivotal role in almost all your films… 

My love for music comes from my inability to play it. You always desire what you don’t have. In the pursuit of becoming a Tansen, I became a Kansen (laughs).  My thinking is that if you keep saying ‘no’ to what you don’t like, you are eventually left with what you like. That’s my process. 

You also tend to improvise a lot on the sets…

I can’t deal with actors who come too prepared. They have to be in the moment. It’s not their job to keep in mind the graph of their characters.

Do you think it enhances their performance? 

I don’t know, but that’s the way I work. I just want them to be believable. I want to do what I believe in, if I don’t, then it’s pointless.

In one of his interviews, Aanand mentioned that while working on this film, he felt you were much calmer...

Aanand knows me because we would meet at public events. He knew me as a filmmaker through my movies, blogs and interviews. I’ve been the same person all my life. Even when I made darker films, I was still the same person. Anyone who works with me for the first time is initially shocked because it’s the perception of me that has been with them.

On the first day of shoot, even Abhishek Bachchan was surprised to see you jumping and dancing on the set… 

I was a writer for Yuva (2004). So, he and I didn’t interact much. I’ve always been an aloof person. I don’t get out of my room except when I’ve to work. But if you talk to people with whom I have worked on the first film, they will tell you I dance on the set, I never scream. Abhishek told me, ‘I expected you to sit in a corner with light falling on your brooding face’ and I told him, ‘I don’t brood.’ When I do, no one sees me because I am in my room. People have a perception of me that has been built by the media. I’m happy in my own space. Everyone thinks I’m super aggressive as I say things bluntly.

But you didn’t love his performance in Yuva.. 

I wrote in my blog that it could have been better. And I think Abhishek took it hard because that was a performance that everyone appreciated. He thought a writer usually doesn’t say such things. We didn’t talk to each other for 10-15 years.

So, how was it working with him now? 

It was lovely; today, we have become good friends. You know when you work with someone, you think they have got your back. I felt the same with him.

You didn’t have reservations before collaborating with him? 

I had reservations before I met him. But once I did, they disappeared.

What is it that drives you about cinema? 

The possibility of exploring things and telling stories, baaki kuch nahin (smiles). I articulate through cinema. It’s also my process of understanding things. When I am going through something in life or something is affecting me, I put it in my film and figure out what it means in the process.   

Do you enjoy acting? 

Not at all…

But you usually get good reviews for your performances… 

That’s because I’m a good actor. However, I like acting on stage. Recently, I met Makarand Deshpande who has directed me in his plays and he asked me, ‘Why don’t you act?’ I told him I like to do so on stage as theatre is an actor’s medium, but cinema is a filmmaker’s medium. I’m very selfish, I want it to be my medium.

How do you look back at your journey as a filmmaker? 

I’m very happy. I’ve had 25 good years of filmmaking. I’ve done more than 100 films as a writer, director, producer. I came here to make one movie.

Will we ever see you helm a commercial potboiler? 

Manmarziyaan is my take on a potboiler.