Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, known for his sharp takes and unconventional storytelling, is once again in the headlines, this time for questioning the very foundation of what the industry calls “pan-India” cinema. While promoting his recent work, Kashyap opened up in an interview with The Hindu, where he critiqued the obsession with massive budgets and unrealistic box-office targets.“A film becomes pan-India only if it performs pan-India,” Kashyap said bluntly. “How can a film be labeled as pan-India before it’s even made? The production process takes years, and entire teams are banking on its success. But instead of investing in storytelling, the money often goes into lavish sets.”The Gangs of Wasseypur director didn’t stop there. He pointed out that in the rush to hit big numbers, many filmmakers end up compromising their narrative. “To meet the demands of huge earnings, filmmakers resort to inserting an ‘item’ or a flashy sequence every few minutes,” he said. “But this approach doesn’t serve the film in the long run.”While acknowledging the phenomenal success of films like Baahubali and KGF, Kashyap emphasized that such hits are rare exceptions. “Only about 1% of films succeed. Yet the industry keeps chasing the Rs 800–Rs1,000 crore dream. In five years, there may have been five or six films that hit that mark. But we’re making 1,000 films a year.”
He also urged filmmakers to focus on storytelling instead of falling into the trap of formulaic cinema. “It all becomes a formula because everybody is chasing that elusive Rs 800–Rs 900–1,000 crore,” he said, stressing that the industry must realign its priorities.Despite his criticism, Kashyap gave credit where it’s due, especially to director SS Rajamouli. “RRR was meant to break out. Baahubali, because of its length, didn’t break out [internationally] in the same way, but every cinephile across the world has seen it,” he noted. “I said it much before RRR released that it’d be the film that would break out of India.”
