Sponsor PFCOne
(18 votes, average: 4.22 out of 5)
Loading ...
GULAAL-Finally
Leaving in two hours for Jaipur to finally complete Gulaal. The film I have been trying to do for last six years. All these years before ZEE motion pictures came in , no body wanted to do Gulaal because of lack of star cast. Finally I meet producers who insist on seeing the product than asking for who is starring in it.
Am I happy, or am I ecstatic. I don’t know. This is the film that has meant the most to me. It’s personal, it’s universal, it’s political and it is real. Finally it is happening. I have been away from PFC because of various reasons. I had nothing to write about, i wanted to stay away, I just wanted to work.
No Smoking was the film closest to me that i made. I never got over the way it was rejected. I still feel bitter about it. The success of Aamir has changed a lot of things. It has given me confidence and self belief. I have finished Dev.D and I am about to finish Gulaal and there is more in the pipeline. What i always dreamt should happen with the industry is happening and Spotboy is doing that. Vikas Behl and Rucha Pathak and Manish are doing that. They are creating cinema that I, We, believe in.I have made my sixth film and I have done what i wanted to do. I am completing Gulaal exactly the way I wanted to do it, and the credit goes to Deepak Sharma and the gang who are letting me do it. Indian Cinema is changing and I am the living proof of it.
Fifteen more days of shoot and Gulaal would be over.
92 Responses to “GULAAL-Finally”
Leave a Reply
Our Comments Policy : The following kinds of comments are troll capped, blocked and/or commenter's identity reported publicly: Verbal abuse, personal attacks, hate statements, spam, trolls, advertising. Please assist us in keeping the comments clean. Use the contact form to let us know if you find unwarranted comments on PFC. Thank you.
- Hellboy II:The Golden Army
- Pusan: Rajesh Shera on AFC and his Ocean of an Old Man
- MIRROR
- Sinbad The Sailor
- Review: Taare Zameen Par
- Rab Ne Bana Di
- Drona R
- Kis Kone Se Vidya M La Lamba Ki Momma Dikhti
- Review: Taare Zamee
- Music Director Ravi : Beete hue lamhon ki mahak saath to
Recent Posts:
Hottest Today:
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
LOOK WHO’S BACK …
AND LOOK WHAT HE IS BRINGING TO US !!!
GULAAL SEY SAAREY THEATERS KO RANG DO GURUDDDDDDDDDDD
You sound… happy. No, not the right word - contented. Congratulations :)
very hearty congratulations anurag.. you and i share one more thing in common now. believe me when i say i share the pain you went thru, and now the happiness.. or as shripriya said, content.
…and miles to go before you sleep…
Thats gr8 !! … hope in the final product we cant spot discontinuity as it took many years in making. Waiting buddy …
btw whats the colour of this gulal .. certainly wont be safron .. and i hate red.
All the best for Gulaal, Anurag!
Great to see you back on PFC Anurag, don’t stop writng. Eagerly looking forward to Gulal.
Yeah!!!!
Go K Go!!!!!
-K
Go K Go!!!
-K
It must surely be a great feeling to have Gulal finally on track.
On the same note I look forward to see UTV or some other benevolent producer picking up Gulzar’s Libaas.
Good Luck Sirjee…hopefully we will be bale to see Paanch too soon
a post on the history of gulaal would be nice… aparna sen wanted to make a film called gulel with ajay devgan and saif… don;t know why i wrote that… anyway all the best anurag…
all the best ….want more posts on Gulaal and Devd …
When you stop thinking about the audience while making a film and instead start to hear them, its then that you start making the kind of films u want to ..
You simply hear the audience… Their exults, their gasps, their moans..you hear them as u write the film and later make it…. That way you work around the audience rather than work with them…
I just want to believe that that’s one part of what you have referred to as “making a film exactly the way I wanted to”..
Fuck… wow!!!
Have heard the premise… and i really like it… Looking forward to it… :)
And also please get back to posting regularly… Love your posts…
It seems working on a new movie is lucky for you (or rather undoes your ‘jinx’)
1st Black Friday (during NS) and now Gulal (during Dev.D)… Maybe Paanch, the next time you start a new movie…
…and heartiest congrats :)
6 years in making…it ll b gud nd becum a classic…
mugaleazam was made in 8-9 years…pakija in 12-13 years nd
gulal is rejected by many …that makes it more interesting..lagan was rejected b4..all gud projects r rejected by market minded producers…
gulal is personal…universal…political…wow..ll watch it on 1st day..b4 anybody write abt it…but ll watch dev d after reading reviews on PFC…
gud luck 4 both films…
Anurag,
Indian film industry is changing and its credit goes to guys like you who swims in opposite current.. You along with many new comers including your associate - Rajkumar Gupta have showed us that Indian films in good hand.. You have changed it and multiplex generation will accept you later if not sooner.. Keep it up..
Nik
I vivdly remember a Sunday afternoon in FUn Republic preview theatre….Baiscope Entertainment’s first ever Workshop.
Anurag was sharing his experiences ‘Surviving without a Release….and How!!!’.
The attendance was sizeable….and enthusiastic.
He began the workshop by screening a few minutes of GUlal.
The attendees were hooked, booked and woo-ed.
What a boon for cineastes that Gulal is back….rearing towards completion.
THank you ZEE…
All the BEST Anurag!!!
We’re sure this will be one helluva film!
YUPPPYYY……CONGO MAN!!!!!!!!!!!
this news made my day!!! though its already night…oh wait its midnight…but in any case it made my day!!! lol
p.s- btw when is dev.d releasing?
Its good to see my fav man in hindhi flim industry is back on “PFC”. hey eagerly waiting for gulal. hey plz do Post frequently i enjoy reading stuff written by you and best of luck for all movies that u r part of………
Wonderful.
So, is this your last post or what ? And then .. was that the real Anurag Kashyap who apologized on ‘My name is Karan’ and stated about not blogging anymore. And if that was, what is this then ?
Who, the fking hell, is John Galt ?
Congrats AK sir. Wish you all the best.
Paanch, Black Friday, No Smoking, Dev D, and Gulal (abt to finish); you said, you’ve made 6 films. So, which one’s I’m missing here?
@ vivek H -
hanuman returns.
ohh.. yeah Hanuman Returns. Completely forgot about it.
hey Anurag,
Was tht really you on Karan Johar blog:
“Friday, June 20, 2008 2:37:18 AM (India Standard Time, UTC+05:30)
I’m sorry for whatever I said to you in print before. I stopped blogging now and concentration on my films. Please accept my apology and hopefully I do justice for your film which I’m writing for Rendil D’silva.
Good luck for My name is khan.
love,
Anurag.
Anurag Kashyap”
anuraj id like to share something that navdeep singh had once said
it broadly goes something like
navdeep-abhay deol is a smart fucker hes got a good strategy
me-why…whats his strategy like
navdeep-well he sees to it that atleast he has a definete audience that comes to see his films
basically what im trying to say is that even you have created an audience like that for yourself
a lot of my friends who dont even care for bollywood care open to come see your films
so chillax screw the audience/critics bla bla and continue making the films you make ^_^
@sreehari ,
u r being extremely optimistic here :-)
Have Aamir’s promotional music videos directed by Shiraz from Pentagram??
Best of luck K!
Anurag: From what one has heard, it’s a great premise. All the best and waiting for a longer post on the story behind Gulaal.
DPac,
Ariyamedo…. And I hate that.. Optimism kills the art in me…
Not carrying my laptop.
Turtle that is definitely not me. I said whatever i had to say to him personally, but that was funny.
will write about Gulaal, Vasan will be writing about the shoot.
Most definitely not my last post
Navdeep Singh said a great thing on our ride back from the PFC meet: One shouldn’t meet one’s idols because they have feet of clay.
But I really am looking forward to meeting the man who can make movies as diverse as Black Friday, No Smoking and Return of Hanuman (God how my bro and I laughed in the theatre while watching RoH!)
All Da Best!
really happy to knw that Gulaal is finally happening again.it had been saddening for me as well when da film stuck..all da best again!
Hi Anurag Guruji…congrats and best of luck for Gulaal.Is Rajiv Ravi shooting with you? If he is,give my best wishes to him too.
Hi Anurag Kashyap:
Welcome to Jaipur, hope u have a good time here. Is it possible to meet u during or after the shooting. Ur shoot locations, hotel… any place.
BTW if GULAAL is really about the JC Bose Hostel scandal, I hope u have the true story with u and not just what was reported in the media. Some really promising young lives were destroyed in that so called scandal.
Am a regular reader of your blog and a keen follower of your films, will be glad to be of any help while you are in my city.
regards,
Veerendra
In Raja, Piyush sir, Mukesh Bhatt ji, Dev and Sartaaj, I have already seen the excitement and anticipation you have expressed. Dev even mentioned that it is easily your best film till date.So eagerly waiting for it. All the best Anurag. Have fun
allthebestadamsorrytheressomeprolemwithmykeyoard.
for junta wanting to know more dope on gulal
here it is
http://passionforcinema.com/watching-gulal-and-paanch-with-anurag/
and some more on actor raja chaudhary’s website
http://www.rajachaudhary.com/
(click on films and then click on gulal)
thats great… but you are done with dev.d and we have hardly heard about the shoot… would love u to write something more on it…
Any teaser/trailer possibility ?
all the best, Anurag..looking forward to a great movie..AGAIN!!
All the best Sirjee….waiting for more dope on gulal and DevD…miss your angry young man type posts…
hey anurag
congratz on gulaal,but just wanna know if paanch is ever gonna release,am dying to watch it.If its not releasing then how can i see the film.
sorry to bother u abt a silly query but will really appreciate if u or anyone or yr behalf can reply bk.
All the best
Damn..I cant believe myself that I actually am on a forum where I can write to Anurag Kashyap…I know this may sound just like one fan dying to meet a star or such like but No..its not this…Its just that I respect him…as a film maker par excellence…its rare and very very tough to make the kind of films you do Anurag here in India. Great to know about Gulal…All the best for this venture!!..(Will def watch it but am still wanting to see Paanch…wish we’ll be able to…someday…)
All the best Anurag
mubaraka…mubaraka….
@vasan…fatso…abki kuch likh aur foto upload kar
@kenny…and guess what…in the last five years, i met all my idols n lost all of them.
I completely agree with anurag, when he says “Indian Cinema is changing and I am the living proof of it”
The world of advertisement has let many film makers be known to a wider (?) audience.
Just read the other day I was reading in filmfare that Paresh Rawal was desparately looking to work with Onir and was searching his number ( he is tired of doing bad comedies it seems ). There might be many artists in the industry who could be looking for young talented directors
kya baat hai….all the luck to ya for Gulaal…!!!!
Dear Anurag,
That is one good news I have been dying to hear from you! Nice to hear that you completed Gulaal the way you wanted it to! Best wishes!
trailers!trailers! dying to see them!
Great news Anurag Bhai! Am now looking forward to watching 2 of your films.. Dev D and Gulaal. I’ve heard great things about both! All the best…
You had once wrote something very nice to me, and I still remember it… I’d like to take this opportunity to say it back to you as it fits this occasion very well…
“…congratulations.. perseverance pays off in the end..”
Bitterness with the Audience Unfair……
Dear Anuraag You may feel bitter about the rejection of No Smoking , but I in a very objective assessment can state that it was a very weak movie , it is a almost a bad movie.I got to see it the other day on TV. You have to accept that the people who had the intelligence to appreciate the cinematic novelty of “Black Friday” also have the intelligence to see through the weakness of “No Smoking”. Just try uploading its script on Your PC and give a search for the words “smoke” , “smoking” or any other phonetically varying word … it must repeat a couple of thousand times. The problem was not as much with the unaccessiblity of the subject but with the sheer lack of intelligence of some of its characters …. baaba Bengali is more of a strongman that a psychological conman … there is no deep intellectual or psychlogical rebellion by K on being stopped from smoking … it is merely physical.There is no dialectic between the two societies on either side of the divide - the smoking one and the non smoking one.I will always be of the belief that with big stars some where the movies are made at a industrial pace where as cinema the art that it is , it requires a certain langour a certain unashamed lack of hurry a beep contemplation , which is missing in the making of “No Smoking” as was in the maming of “Omkara” as compared to “Maqbool”.
Doulble bill Anurag… not bad. btw, will u be in Delhi for Cinefan?
First day of shoot over.. shot scenes with Kaykay, abhimanyu and Mahi(she has replaced Seema Rehmani).. nice
@ Guru…over the period of time..all the actors must have gone through a lot of physical change in them…how are you countering it?
Anurag, is seema rehmani a pakistani?
@ Kapil - She is a Pakistani actress. Was seen in ‘Sins’ with Sihiney Ahuja apart from ‘Loins of Punjab’ and ‘Shakalaka Boom Boom’….
Fantastic Anurag! :)
Been waiting for Gulal ever since I saw the non-colour corrected first cut at the Biascope event! Hurry up and finish it now. It’s been way too long!
I had a chance to recently see No Smoking.. I must say a brilliant piece of cinematic excellence it is, and backed by the years best musical score. That said, I think while seeing No Smoking I felt as if I was watching a Takshi Miike movie.. but sort of indianised to certain extent. I’m a huge Takashi miike fan and I totally loved No Smoking. Kudos to you for making such a great movie and keep making such surreal movies.. We totally need more directors like you.
Hi Anurag … Heard a lot abt Gulaal and read the stuff on in print. All the best in your endeavour. I will meet you as soon as i’m done with my script titled “LEHEK”.
I want to narrate it to you and experience your reaction on the same.
Thanks,
Phanee
Hey Anurag,
great to see that things are finally working out for you. Personally I never had a doubt, but that you are now able to complete “Gulaal” is very good news indeed.
You keep up the good work and we’ll keep watching it. And reading your posts, of course. ;)
Bye & best of luck!
No SMoking was amazing! Had shades of Lynch, some gilliamesque bits, but for some weird reason. No SMoking always left me with the same feling as Tarkovsky’s “The Stalker”.
Hey anurag, check out ‘Salo’ and some Peter Greenway abstract films. Always interested in your work. I am glad progressive work is finally happening in india. After I left it …fuckkk!
Hey Anurag,
I remember once you said that people overrate you but thats not the case though I do feel you need to channelize your energy in the right way. The biggest challenge for any filmmaker whether from art house or pure masala types is to make a movie which can be claimed as really brilliant as well as ability to get box office success. “Aamir” is one latest classic example. Here we go, another one giving you piece of advice. But the only reason I do that I really want you to do well not just through critical acclaims(which I don’t think carry much meaning) but have the commercial success since thats what really matters at the end of day besides personal satisfaction no matter whatever so called intellects say.
I’ve been following your work ever since you wrote Satya,Kaun and was looking really forward to Paanch mainly due to the song “Main Khuda”. Then I was really excited and felt like super lucky when I got hold of “Black Friday” DVD since it was stuck with censor board. Well, I’m not here to review your past work or show how much die-hard fan I’m but trying to possibly articulate the importance of commercial success without stoopping(which you unfortunately did with shakalaka,main aisa hi hoon and few others). I reckon the kind of work you are doing would always reflect the state of mind at that time. So I feel the less you feel frustrated and more at ease, better it would be. Yea yea more easier said than done. Well, there’s lot more that I want to say but perhaps some other day. Best wishes for Gulal and Dev D and hope that someday I would get to see Paanch. Somehow recent promos of “Rock On” reminded me of Paanch and perhaps this blog.
i loved no smoking…
n m too curious 4 gulal…
hope it’l rock us,as anurag’s movies always do.
rock on anurag..\m/..
har holi mein rangon ki bauchhaar zarori to nahi,
par gulaal ke chidakna holi se kya kuch kam hua?
Mubarak ho…
hi anurag sir..
i watched no smoking but when i read your blog then only i could understand that..and i learnt some cinematic lesson..
now m waiting for DEV D and GULLAL…
great work sir..
Some of us positively LOVED “No Smoking”. We’ve told you repeateadly but it seems you don’t really want to hear that… It’s a strange dynamic Mr. Kashyap, as if you have given up on that wonderful film and whoever brings it up again, well…
dear anurag kashyap,
this isn’t about your blog. i have a doubt. i have been seeing stanley kubrick’s movies recently. i liked many things in his movies. but one thing i observed starting from his paths to glory to eyes wide shut is all his windows are soo brightly lit up. why? i saw a few other movies by other directors in various languages. but nowhere i have seen this. is it that because he doesn’t want to distract the viewer as to wats happening outside which is irrelevant? its just a small doubt but was always in my mind… answer at your leisure…and once i asked you wat ur favourite books are..you have written a whole blog about it..thank you very much i just checked it…i haven’t read many of those…thrillers mostly i think…there are many thrillers in the market..spy novels and stuff like that. now i know what to buy….thanks again..waiting for your dev d. …. loved no smoking…and if u haven’t read italo calvino…try his “numbers in the dark” short stories…read “black sheep” and “solidarity” and “conscience” and “petrol pump” …. they can be made into wonderful short movies.. you can compile them all and release like dus kahaniya…i just got this idea.. when reading them…do try
Thanks Arthi for the response. Here is why i asked.
Iss industry mein lakhon strugglers ko chod kar agar pakistaniyon ko liya jayega, to hum kahan jayenge???
hum pakistan to ja nahin sakte?? vahan se bhaga diye jayenge ya vo mulleh maar denge??
yahan hindustan mein ek chutiya mahest bhatt baitha hai jo sirf pakistani actors aur musicians ko kaam dene ke liye betaab rehta hai…..us chutiye bhatt ko main kehna chahta hoon ki tu pakistani mussalon ki parwah karna chod…
Hamare yahan visa vaale bhi usse bhi bade chutiye hain….hindustaniyon ke paas kaam nahin aur pakistaniyon ko kaam dene ke liye visa dete rehte hain…bhaichara badhane ke liye….aajtak koi bhaichara nahi bana sirf bomb blast hi badha hai.
Baaki Gulaal ke liye all the best. Mein dekhunga FD FS.
anurag,
i admired u coz of u arrogance n u r abliity to call a spade a spade …….. u being in the industry its rare to see someone so fucking frank n not the usual diplomacy but now wat u r doin is plain publicity first for aamir n then now gulal(i loved aamir except the end it was heroic n i m waiting for gulaal) u r not even blogging u only do tht wen u r film is gonna is due to release……. u say u stopped blogging coz pple around u got affected thts shit pure shit ……u first criticised karan johar even called his show a mutual masturbation club (thts was really funny ) but know u hav sold urself to karan n like THE BIGSHOTS
Hey Anuraag,
Is there any idea, when Paanch is going to release?
AK… Since I read in Raj Patrika that you are in Jaipur shooting for Gulaal, I have wanted to meet you at your sets and share my experiences with everyone on PFC. Is it possible?
Congrats Anurag… m happy… Ya one thing u said that u cudnt get over with the rejection of No Smoking… M still struggling with the same… I ve been arguing with people, i ve been trying to convince them… but they do not seem to have that power to see the underlying out-of-the-world imagination n creativity… All i can say is, No Smoking is one of the best i ve seen and one of my favourite films…in all its aspects…U are an inspiration… Keep your work to its integrity…coz as u said, ‘Our’ kind of cinema is finally there…! Cheers..!
gajendra - check ur email ….
Hello Sir,
I wish to share some Box office data with you.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Media__Entertainment_/Stats_speak_Box_Office_2008/articleshow/3183665.cms
A quick sum and total reveals the following figures.
Total movies released in first six months 2008 = 37 Total collection Domestic Rs.550 cr.
Bottom = 25 Total Collection Rs.50 cr.
Top = 12 Total Collection Rs.500 cr.
My cause of concern is apart from amounting losses to the theatrical distributors, are the kind and quality of movies that get a release in hope to garner money from other revenue streams. (satellite, overseas and other rights).
My another concern is if the number of tickets sold is the same and the amount collected at the box office is the same for films which have totally varying budgets, What it matters to the audience if the movie is defined by trade pundits HIT or FLOP. The audience will never know the budgets and the deal with the Distributor and Exhibitors. (soon the exhibitor and distributor will be one)
how do the big budget movie make that extra tickets sale?
What will be the higher head count?
Do big budget movie only will survive on repeat audiences?
If the average theatre going audience has watched the movie once and given a good collection, how will it matter whether the distributors gamble worked or not?
Also when the audience now knows the movie will be available soon on TV and Home Video. May be DTH. May be Pirated Copies. they may be lazy enough to go and watch a particular HIT movie.
Considering an extreme option like Diwali Holidays when people may come out of the home in extraordinary numbers to watch a movie in theatre, whats the surety we have enough numbers of seats available for this particular movie?
There will be another option of just another equally good movie to be watched on the same day?
To conclude my concern is How many Prints multiplied by number of seats available on a particular opening week and the Head on Publicity will bring out the audiences to make a sale of tickets to make a HIGH BUDGET film a Super Hit.
How many weeks in the 52 weeks we can repeat this huge sale phenomenon?
When we will be able to release a movie with above 2000 prints to cover our costs and make money? (including Digital)
Has the time come to think of a satellite release together with Home video coupled to the theatrical release?
Or will the cost of High Production be subsidised by In film placement/Branding?
Is our film making going to depend on IPL , in Film Placements and Satellite rights?
Please share your thoughts.
Best Regards
Vinod Agarwal
(Finished a 2 year full time production course in Business of Films and Television at Whistling Woods International. Looking for an opening as Assistant/Associate/Executive -Producer Motion Pictures )
Hello Anurag,
This is my first post.
It sounds like a splendid pipeline you have there! Give us more details about the shooting of Gulaal and how you worked with the team that helped you make it possible.
I will be awaiting the Dvds (I live in France and Indian films do not really get distributed in theatres here, but am trying to change that).
Many congratulations on your work!
((bindi))
Hey Anurag!
its overwhelming .. to jus read your posts..and like everyother PFCian i am equally excited about Gulaal and DevD. More for DevD ,as i am an avid fan of Sart chandra and wud love to see your version. i have watched two versions but ..very sorry to say , couldn’t link myself wid them… so my anxiety and excitments has gone many folds. You as writer/director has stirred the whole bollywood audience… they can love you are hate you .. but they simply can’t afford to ignor you now!! ..
Talking about NS.. i repeatedly say that i loved the movie and that one dialouge “Aatma hai to sareer ishwar hai , aatma nahi to nashwar hai” changed so many things in my life.. [:)]
Wishing you best of luck for DevD and Gulaal… btw..i have yet to see Aamir… vl catch it soon …
and ya please write more on PFC..
Hey Anurag .. since i got obsessed with your work … was reading abt u and ur life .. came thru this piece written by Abbas abt you … so many ppl pray for u man !! You are yet to get ur dues in life… hope they get 2 u soon..
read thru ..
Surely you’re joking, Mr.Kashyap.”
ShareThisAug 16 2001 | Views 6045 | Comments (84)
You carried the torch, my naïve friend. And they pissed on it.
Remember that silly high jump contest in school, where you had to jump and make a chalk mark on the wall? You were my wall. A wall for me to scale. Every achievement of mine was secret chalk mark I made to gauge my efforts against yours. And now, there are crimson spittle stains on the wall.
Eleanor Roosevelt carried this prayer in her purse during the Second World War:
Dear Lord
Lest I continue
My complacent way
Help me to remember
Somewhere out there
A man died for me today
– As long as there be war
I then must ask and answer
Am I worth dying for?
There is a war being fought today. A war that few know about and even fewer care about. It is the war to preserve a modicum of intelligence in Hindi cinema. It is the struggle to nurture the remnants of creative integrity and expression in the largest film industry in the world. The warriors are the people who dare to defy market bromides, formulae and mantras, who dare to create and express on their own terms, for their own desperate, passionate need to make films.
Films, not proposals. Films, not marketing vehicles. Films, not an ensemble of stars performing an elaborate music video.
The enemy is an Axis of omnipotent but anonymous allies.
When Manmohan Desai asserted that his formula was one ‘item’ every ten minutes, was he aware that he was playing Frankenstein? Did he recognize the monstrosity he was unleashing upon the industry he so loved and came to symbolize?
The inheritors of Manji’s legacy forgot that ‘items’ are mean to garnish and enhance the content of a film, not replace it. They replaced it. ‘Fight scenes’ replaced human drama, ‘melodrama’ replaced motivation, ’songs’ replaced exposition, ‘comedy tracks’ replaced comic insights and Hindi cinema was reduced to a rugby joke.
The Axis also involves the Viewer. Reluctantly and because they were offered no alternatives, the Viewer gave up. He not only got accustomed to the repetitive inanities of Bollywood, he actually came to enjoy it. But this ally of the brain-dead retained a conspiratorial connection with the Light Brigade. The fathers of mainstream cinema scratched their heads in confusion when Ardh Satya ran for twenty-five weeks and Ankush opened to full houses. And how could Shyam Benegal keep making films? Obviously, someone was paying money to watch these films, but who?
The answer was never revealed. The Resistance stayed underground, surfacing every odd Friday for a guerilla attack on benumbed sensibilities.
Slowly, the Resistance gained in strength, putting up their posters openly and actually releasing films like Parinda, Roja, Satya, Hyderabad Blues, Terrorist and Zubeida. The enemy panicked. The Viewer was of course the principle ally. If the Viewer once again got used to intelligent films, where would that leave us: We, the Showmen? We, the Dream Makers? We, the Sellouts?
But the Axis had one more ally. More powerful than any other. An antediluvian monster that forgot to die, and was institutionalized by the moral brigade. The Censor Board.
An image from ‘The Fountainhead’ has always haunted me. You are locked in a room with a malevolent monster, diseased and salivating and vicious. He is going to kill you. You have no weapons to fight it. Your only hope for survival is to appeal to its reason, to its intellect — to explain to it that it will achieve nothing by killing you. But the monster has no faculty for reason. It has no intellect. It will kill you.
I met Anurag Kashyap in 1995 when I was working part time in Crest Communication and instantly hated him for having started writing before me. I played safe: I worked as a copywriter for a year and as a creative consultant for a TV company, while all the time dying to write movies. Anurag shrugged at such notions of financial security. When I finally took the plunge, Anurag had already written Satya, Kaun and Shool.
He was actually writing the kind of subjects that I dreamed and fantasized about. People were paying him money to write them, making films based on them.
I watched his films with vicious intent, rejoicing everytime a line sucked or scene fell flat. I didn’t care about more successful or better known writers. All my hatred and envy was reserved for Anurag because I understood his work. My hatred was based on respect. My hatred was based on love. Of course, I didn’t know it then.
Imagine, then, my chagrin when Anurag was signed on to direct a film even before I had had my first release as a scriptwriter. And fathom my frustration when he signed me on to pen the lyrics. The gumption of the man! I was so angry, I wrote the best damn lyrics ever in my life, determined to outshine the brilliance of the director with my poetic heroism, like a desperate sub-plot trying to distract from the main narrative.
I expected to be thrown out after the very first attack. But every assault of mine was met with enthusiastic — no, excited — deliriously excited reactions from Anurag. He loved every song I wrote. The courage of this man. The heroism!
Until I realised, one day, that it was not courage at all. It was innocence. An innocence that was completely unaware of my intentions. He wanted to make a film, a good film, a great film if possible, and he saw my vicious attacks as genuine contributions to the film’s welfare. Childlike in his intentions, he suspected no malice in mine. How do you defeat a man who is unaware that you are raging a battle against him with everything that you do, everything that you have? I gave up. Anurag almost won.
Almost. At the last minute, the Censor Board launched its secret weapon.
Anurag screened Paanch for this Jurassic wonder. At the end of the screening, a man who I believe is a primary school teacher called Anurag in and asked him what cinema meant to him. Anurag asked in turn what it meant to him and the man replied, without blinking an eyelid, that it meant ‘healthy entertainment’. Healthy entertainment, according to Masterji, was absent in Paanch. He asked why there were no ‘positive characters’ in the film. Obviously it would have been a complete waste of time to explain the concept of a noir film to the gentleman; Anurag explained instead that all the characters were to him positive to some degree.
The gentleman then suggested that the film was too violent.
I have seen Paanch. Its wizardry lies in creating a sense of violence without its explicit depiction. The film gets under your skin, creates the kind of dirty residue that normally remains in the aftermath of a street fight. Instead, Teacher Rex felt that this film glorifies violence. Anurag asked for specific scenes that had bothered the Board, which he was willing to defend and delete if necessary. No instances were forthcoming; the man was too busy objecting to the language now.
Then came the piece de resistance. The man said that the film was too long for a thriller. He arbitrarily asked Anurag to trim it by forty minutes! Too long for a thriller. Oh Anurag, I wish I had been there to see your face. The joy it would have given my aching heart to see your initial lack of comprehension, then the rage and then the helplessness; the intense desire to ask this gentleman where he kept his cane so you could put it where it belonged. Too long for a thriller. Marvelous!
Maybe Once Upon A Time In America should have been cut down from four and a half to two hours. Oh wait a minute, they did. And reduced a classic to a schizophrenic collection of visuals. Isn’t Bertolucci’s 1900 too long for an epic? Well, it does encompass the story of a century, so I guess it can stretch to five hours. And thank God cricket matches last an entire day, or else Lagaan would have had to be trimmed by an hour or so.
But a thriller! What in a thriller justifies two hours and forty-five minutes? Your story? Your development of characters? Your plot? Your choice?
Surely you’re joking, Mr.Kashyap.
At the end of it all, Anurag Kashyap was refused certification for his film.
Fortunately, he reserves the right to appeal to a Revising Committee and subsequently even to the Judiciary. I hope that the idiocy that characterized his recent ordeal will not mark the subsequent process of rectification.
Is Paanch too long a film? I think so. Anurag doesn’t. Is Paanch a great film? I don’t know. Who decides?
The Viewer. Only the goddamn Viewer and no one else.
I have seen the herculean effort that went into creating this film. I have seen the heartbreak, the conflicts, the highs and lows, the delirium and the genius that marked the process. I was present in the studio when Anurag kissed everyone in sight, including myself, because he had no other way of conveying his delight at the song. I was present when Anurag kept pushing his agitated cinematographer to attempt a scene with almost no lights. I was fortunate enough to share the ride without running the risks. Anurag ran the risks. Paanch is a year of Anurag’s life.
And today, with the checkered flag in sight, a frustrated referee with no concept, no awareness of the medium is signaling an indefinite pit stop.
Let us not even dwell on some of the inanities, the obscenities and the regressive outrages that the Board has passed to date. These are not the reasons Anurag’s film deserves a certificate.
It deserves a certificate because he made a film with passion and with love.
If today, no voices are raised in protest, in defiance of this murderous monolith, then we lose forever the moral right to complain about the lack of intelligence, the absence of imagination and the dearth of heroes in Hindi cinema.
Anurag Kashyap….
No Smoking is a highly critical film,its unfortunate that some critics did not see the way it was meant to be seen.The review given for ‘No Smoking’ in the Outlook was really good.I hope it should give some relief.
All the best for GULAAL
K
Even I feel bitter about the way people have (some still do) reacted to No Smoking. Till recently when I watched it for 5th time, I was still convincing people about it… but really feel bad/bitter about the unfair criticism you faced. (You know, even I OWN some part of it, and took personal umbrage at someone’s nasty comments.)
Like a true younger brother, let me tell you this - please let go of it. You are too precious for me to be wasted on memories of guilt, pain, insult and anguish. Please, let go of it! Please.
Wish you all the very best.
Anurag,
I remember some months back I had written a comment on one of your posts as to what I expected from you… (not that it matters… just a humble fan craving for some brilliance)… I take my words back! Apologies… sincere apologies! I considered ‘Black Friday’ great… uber cool… right… but I wouldn’t deny I expected something more…(here, it would be essential to drop in that I remained oblivious to the brilliance of “NO SMOKING”. That was one of the reasons why I never participated in any of the posts related to NO SMOKING… but now yesterday when I finally watched it (and may I be damned for making it that late!)… I just wish to add… ‘NO SMOKING’ is abso-fucking-lutely the best movie ever. I know I may bear differences… and it is rather foolish to be so outright in saying something that you are still struggling to understand completely… but shouldn’t you be given the right to vent out what you really feel? Call this self indulgence, arrogance or any fucking word that the God damn Oxford dictionary holds… NO SMOKING was killing!
Okay, I do not know whether it is the aftermath of such a profoundly stimulating experience… or just my mind going haywire over it all… I know, tomorrow… or the day after I may wake up to humbly accept that it is not the greatest ever… and there may have been better movies… but just let me live this moment… only for the feeling (bloody hell- I feel I have had a dozen gulps of Tequila down my throat- that is what the experience has been like!). I just revelled in every moment!
Could any movie seduce you to the extent that you go crazy over having sex with it (pardon me, if I sound a pathetic lampooner!)… yeah that is what the experience was like… the last time I had it when I watched “Fight Club”! And rather shamelessly, do I admit there are a lot of things that I am yet to understand… no I do not seek your explanations… let me relate to it myself… the God fucking way I want to! I do not know the Kafkan references that my friends had pointed out… I even dare to overlook the Wellian style some said you implemented… the only thing I understood was throughout it was me (and every other God shit fucker like me!) who has struggled to remain himself!
I do not wish to motivate you… I hope you understand that would have been the last thing on my mind… I have actually lost my mind… and my ability to express in the process!
One last request: MAKE EVERY OTHER MOVIE EXACTLY THE WAY YOU WANT TO! Let the flagbearers of creative brilliance who scorned at the attempt of NO SMOKING eat shit! They deserve it, they like it… happy!
By the way, apologies for the incoherence in my previous comment and also for the number of F words used…
just a note of concern…
the raja chaudhary website gives out a little too much information about gulaal… the synopsis just never ended…
I didnt bother reading it as it is pretty badly written and incoherent.
Hi Anurag,
I beleive there are two type of filmmakers in India ( Not in Bollywodd) one who make films for money and two who makes a film to entertain. Generally the first category ends up being a flop (too many example), and the second category may be hit or super hit.
I beleive you make films for entertainment.
Well about me I always dream to assist you or else Aamir khan. Currently am doing the donkey work at one of the biggest television production house. I have done diploma in direction from Digital Film Academy,Mumbai and If you need any AD then please let me know at sjadhav6@gmail.com
( OR if you come across any filmmaker needs AD)
Thanks,
Sachin Jadhav
Anurag,
Finally… got control over the situation… the reprise… back to what I was… ‘No Smoking’ still I dare say is brilliant! My humble tributes to you Anurag… no movies for a month! I want to live the moments of No Smoking to the full before I give any other movie a thought… by the way, what have you been watching of late!
Anurag, Why is it that remakes are looked down upon? To re-make a movie also requires skill and sometimes, the re-make is better than the original e.g. Brian De Palma’s “Scarface” is a much better movie compared to the 1930’s “Scarface” it’s a remake of. I believe remakes should also be given fair consideration as movies in their own right. So please dont stop re-making films. In fact, I have a suggestion for you. Why not re-make “Network”, revise and update it and bring it into modern India, where TV is an endless parade of reality shows and the public is obsessed with films. A good starting point would be to use the cast of “Maqbool” in key roles. What say? Can we finally have a movie that satirises show business in India?
cheers………….
He is back and How!!!
love you anurag…
that s the passionforcinema…keep it up sir….best luck
india rising…indian media changing…..u r the leader….lead it sir…..plz Anuragsir dont stop…..we believing in u ppl…(indian youth voice)…..