Anurag Kashyap hasn’t exactly had an easy run with Mumbai’s film industry lately. After years of Bollywood turning its back on him, he finally decided to leave the city behind.
In a recent chat with Sudhir Srinivasan on YouTube, Kashyap got pretty candid about how this move and his dive into South Indian cinema helped him kick his drinking habit and pull himself out of depression.
Anurag Kashyap: I went into a depression
Anurag Kashyap, in his latest interview, admitted, “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.” It’s clear he found some fresh inspiration outside the usual circles.
Kashyap didn’t mince words about why Hindi filmmakers keep their distance. According to him, “Hindi filmmakers have been avoiding me, because they think I’m bad news, 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.” The contrast between how he’s treated in the South and how things went in Mumbai is pretty stark.
Anurag Kashyap: I don’t have to deal with people
Anurag Kashyap went on, “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.”
Since moving, things have gradually improved. He said, “I don’t have to deal with people. Automatically, I started exercising. Automatically, I started writing.” Kashyap’s last directorial effort in theatres was Dobaaraa (2022), and he recently acted in the Malayalam film Rifle Club (2024).
Up next, Kashyap has a crime-thriller titled Nishaanchi, which marks the acting debut of Aaishvary Thackeray. The film also stars Vedika Pinto, Monika Panwar, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, and Kumud Mishra. Nishaanchi is set to hit cinemas on September 19, 2025.
