Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Anurag Kashyap: “I suffered a lot because of Anil Kapoor and I will not forget it!”



Anurag Kashyap: “I suffered a lot because of Anil Kapoor and I will not forget it!”

“I moved out of Ramu’s camp as I wanted to make different cinema and we have different views.”

Guess what’s common between Satya, Shool, Yuva and Water? The contribution of one man, Anurag Kashyap, the talented script writer. Though he’s one of Bollywood’s ace scriptwriters, he is also considered a jinxed filmmaker. Reason? All his films Pannch, Black Friday and Gulal are lying in the cans. But Lady Luck is finally smiling on him and his Black Friday (based on the infamous Bombay bomb blasts) hits the theatres this Friday. A jubilant Anurag spoke to us about his trails and tribulations....

“Except for a few producers there’s a dearth of producers who understand original writing.”

You’ve finally broken the ‘jinx’ with Black Friday.
“(Sighs) I’m still jittery and it will continue till Black Friday releases this Friday. Initially when industry people called me a jinxed filmmaker, I used to laugh, but latter it played on my mind.”

It’s been a long struggle with both your films Paanch and Black Friday getting stuck.
“Yes, it was. It affected my health and I also put on weight due to stress. Hopefully it will be smooth sailing after this.”

“I have some issues with Guru but I don’t want to discuss it in the media.”

Will you attempt another controversial film now?
“Black Friday is not controversial. We started this film after sorting out all the legal issues. It’s a film based on facts. Everyone knows what happened in Mumbai and we are simply putting in on the big screen. Basically the film is about the police investigation, how the Mumbai police cracked and solved the case. When we started the film our battery of lawyers made sure that everything is legal and within the framework of the law, but then too it ran into endless trouble.”

Besides your films getting stuck, you are constantly at loggerheads with your producers; be it Ram Gopal Varma, TuTu Sharma or Deepa Mehta?
“I moved out of Ramu’s camp as I wanted to make different cinema and we have different views. And I’m still friends with TuTu and Deepa Mehta.”

You wrote the script for Deepa Mehta’s Water which got shelved. Eventually she made the film without you?
“I wrote the dialogues in the old film and even in the new Water.”

Another of your films Allwyn Kallicharan too has been stuck?
“Allwyn Kalicharan got shelved because the hero Anil Kapoor developed cold feet at the last minute. First he said he loved the script, but latter got insecure about the other actor’s role. And he didn’t have the guts to come and tell me that. He just kept postponing it and at the end I understood his game plan and decided to abandon the project altogether. I suffered a lot because of Anil Kapoor and I will not forget it.”

Are you saying that you will never work with him again?
“I don’t think I will ever work with him. I tried to get in touch with him, but there was no response from him.”

Do you agree when filmmakers says there’s a serious dearth of original writers in Bollywood?
“No, why blame the writers? I think except for a few producers there’s a dearth of producers who understand original writing.”

Have you ever copied from a Hollywood movie?
“I have copied dialogues, because some of my producers wanted me to do that. And I had to do that to survive. But I haven’t blatantly copied the entire film.”

Wasn’t Guru another bitter experience? We heard that Mani Ratnam changed your story in the final draft?
“I had written two drafts, and Mani Sir wanted to change certain things, but I couldn’t work on it as I had to go to the US. Mani Sir took over and made some changes. I have no issues with that. But yes, I would have loved to make the changes myself.”

So are you happy with the end result?

“I have some issues with Guru but I don’t want to discuss it in the media; it will be blown out of proportion. And I have the highest regard possible for Mani Sir. I will do anything for him.”


- Gautam Buragohain

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