Anurag Kashyap, Bollywood’s maverick filmmaker, is as famous for his bold cinema as for his outspoken nature. From censor board battles to fiery Twitter debates, we revisit the 5 boldest controversies that defined his journey.
Anurag Kashyap, perhaps the most-unconventional of Bollywood filmmakers, is always in the limelight for not only his hard-hitting films but also his penchant for voicing his opinions. He is famous for films such as Gangs of Wasseypur, Black Friday and Dev.D., and he has been unapologetic about his opinions, even when these were the trigger of heated debates. On his birthday, here we look at five of the biggest controversies that kept this filmmaker in the headlines.
Revisiting the 5 Boldest Controversies of Anurag Kashyap:
1. Dispute with Censor Board
2. The Political Outburst
Anurag Kashyap’s blunt opinions regarding governmental policies and social issues have always garnered him supporters and detractors alike. His comments during protests like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) created a lot of controversies with detractors accusing him of being overly political. Nevertheless, Kashyap averred that it constituted the citizen’s right, beaming home the point that one can comment on national seeds irrespective of profession.
3. Public Spats in Bollywood
Anurag Kashyap has never shied away from expressing his viewpoints and is widely known to have a number of public disagreements with actors, producers, and even other directors. His fallout with actor Abhay Deol during Dev.D was all over the news for Deol being called unprofessional by Kashyap. Likewise, openly speaking about the working of Bollywood studios and the culture of stardom has landed him in hot water multiple times.
4. Accusations During the #MeToo Movement
In 2020, Anurag Kashyap was accused of Behavioral misconduct by actress Payal Ghosh. Although he denied the allegations and several colleagues from the industry showed their support, the allegations cast an all-ready shadow of media attention over the controversy. The case revealed the polarized views surrounding him: one faction calling him bold and progressive, while the other questioning his good name.
5. Social Media Storms
His Twitter engagement has been yet another source of controversies. Unfiltered comments on politics, cinema, and society provoked trolling, online abuse, and death threats. He often deactivated his account temporarily, but with each return, his unapologetic voice broke yet another storm in the public arena.
The Legacy Beyond Controversies
Despite the fact that everywhere he went, there were controversies, these very controversies went on to add to his fearless image as that of a maverick film-maker. He still continues to walk the tightrope of storytelling, giving Indian cinema some of the finest characters and narratives. Love him or hate him, one cannot deny that Anurag Kashyap has birthed a new wave of Indian filmmaking.
On his birthday, revisiting Anurag Kashyap’s controversies is a reminder of the avatar he embodies, straddling and successfully crossing the sharp divide between art and activism. His unfiltered opinions may be divisive, but they are precisely what rupture him as one of Indian cinema’s defining voices today.