Anurag Kashyap reveals he quit alcohol after leaving Mumbai, says he stopped watching Hindi movies to cure depression: ‘I don’t have to deal…’ | Hindi Movie News

Anurag Kashyap has candidly spoken about why he chose to step away from Mumbai, revealing that the atmosphere of the Hindi film industry had left him drained, depressed, and disillusioned. The filmmaker said he grew weary of Bollywood’s obsession with box office numbers and what he sees as a decline in the quality of films being made. After shifting base to the South, Kashyap shared that he quit drinking, began exercising, and has found himself writing more than ever.In a conversation on Sudhir Srinivasan’s YouTube channel, Anurag admitted that he couldn’t cope with the negativity surrounding him in Mumbai. He recalled how people around him began positioning themselves as ‘saviours’ for his career, and how industry peers distanced themselves, believing he was on a downward spiral. “I went into a depression. I’ve come out of it. I’m enjoying myself now. One thing I did was, I stopped watching Hindi films. I started watching a lot of films from first-time filmmakers, I started watching a lot of Malayalam films,” he said, adding that working on Rifle Club played a key role in reigniting his creative spark.According to him, Bollywood colleagues had started to avoid him altogether. “Hindi filmmakers have been avoiding me, because they think I’m bad new, because they think I have no filter and I talk. They think that if they get associated with me, they might not get (to work with) some studio or somebody else will get upset. And I’ve come to a place that I’m inspired by, and people have so much love for me,” he explained. The warmth he felt in the South, he added, made him question his years in Mumbai. “Why am I in a place where I’m being told that people are talking about your alcoholism, people are talking about your depression, people are saying you’re losing your way. They’re trying to be my saviour and telling me what I must do to save me from myself,” he said.On giving up alcohol, Anurag revealed it wasn’t a forced decision. “I don’t have to deal with people. Automatically, I started exercising. Automatically, I started writing,” he shared.Kashyap has previously criticized the Hindi film industry for being overly money-driven, and even said that actors he once collaborated with now ghost him. He also spoke about how his mental health suffered after Netflix shelved his dream project Maximum City, with several other completed films of his stuck in limbo. Now, though, some of those projects are finally finding their way out: Nishaanchi is set for release on September 19, while Bandar and Kennedy await their turn.