Anurag Kashyap recently set screens ablaze with his vigorous performance in the hit Tamil film ‘Maharaja’. His surprising, uproarious portrayal, alongside the versatile Vijay Sethupathi in the titular role, directed by Nithilan Swaminathan, wowed audiences. While the film received widespread praise, it also faced criticism for its violent content. Addressing this, Anurag Kashyap lashed out at Bollywood for not focusing on storytelling.
In a conversation with The Hindu, Kashyap, known for his outspoken nature and unflinching honesty, expressed his views on the industry’s current state. He highlighted how South Indian cinema excels in storytelling, a quality Bollywood struggles to match. He particularly praised Malayalam cinema, noting its fearless approach to taking risks and narrating unique, captivating stories withing less budget films. Kashyap cited the previous year’s hit film ‘Brahmayugam’, a black-and-white film, taking it as an example he said such films would’ve been made in any other industry.
Adding to the same, Anurag mentioned how the Malayalam cinema industry takes risk and casts influencers in key roles, as seen in the hit ‘Aavesham’, unlike Hindi cinema, which still focuses to prioritize star power over storytelling. He further addressed the criticism his film ‘Maharaja’ and Karan Johar’s ‘Kill’ received for their violent scenes. Kashyap argued that some movies need to depict violence so realistically and extremely that it stops people from attempting it.
Anurag Kashyap, known for helming and producing some of Bollywood’s most unconventional films, including Gangs of Wasseypur, Queen, The Lunchbox, Manmarziyaan and Dobaara, has delivered a remarkable performance in ‘Maharaja’. Audiences are now anticipating more from him as an actor.
COVID-19 pandemic changed the dynamics of the film industry, where audience’s preferences have become unpredictable. While many viewers have shifted their focus to South Indian cinema, appreciating its content-driven narratives and few others focus on every film which is set to hit screens.
‘Maharaja’, released on June 14, 2024, became the third highest-grossing Tamil film of the year. The film is now streaming on Netflix, which also stars Mamta Mohandas, Natarajan Subramaniam, Abhirami Gopikumar and others.
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