Corporate SponSor 18-21 JUNE • 2O12 El CEntro dE ConvEnCionEs intErnaCional dE BarCElona (CCiB) Barcelona • SpaiN traDe ShoW • 19-21 JUne • 2o12 www.cineeurope.net See Your peers and Meet important industry executives at <strong>the</strong> largest and longest-running event Dedicated <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> european Cinema exhibition Community. <strong>the</strong> offiCial Convention of Cine Europe_Cannes D1_051612.indd 1 5/14/12 10:10 AM
DIRECTOR Q&A Anurag Kashyap India’s iconoclastic helmer discusses epic Cannes entry, challenging <strong>the</strong> status quo and his upcoming collaboration with Danny Boyle By Nyay Bhushan WHILE HE HAS BEEN RISING steadily in India with his own brand of unconventional cinema — starting out as a writer with <strong>the</strong> 1993 hit Satya — Anurag Kashyap, 39, is �nally having a breakout year with two of his �lms in <strong>the</strong> o�cial Cannes lineup. As a direc<strong>to</strong>r, his two-part drama Gangs of Wasseypur features in <strong>the</strong> Direc<strong>to</strong>rs’ Fortnight, while Peddlers, which he co-produced via his AKFPL banner, unspools in <strong>the</strong> Critics’ Week sidebar. Not bad for someone whose direc<strong>to</strong>rial debut, 2003’s edgy youth drama Paanch (Five), has still not been released because of censorship concerns. <strong>The</strong> direc<strong>to</strong>r recently talked with <strong>The</strong> <strong>Hollywood</strong> <strong>Reporter</strong> about �ghting <strong>the</strong> establishment. What is Gangs of Wasseypur about? It is a �lm spanning six decades, from 1941 <strong>to</strong> 2009, and set on <strong>the</strong> lower rungs of <strong>the</strong> ma�a (in India’s eastern hinterlands). Through <strong>the</strong> (characters) we learn <strong>the</strong> his<strong>to</strong>ry of that place. <strong>The</strong>y are not very educated and are <strong>to</strong>tally obsessed with Bollywood stars who inspire <strong>the</strong>ir lives. It is about his<strong>to</strong>ry, social issues, but it is also a revenge drama. It was di�cult <strong>to</strong> �nd funding since nobody could understand what I wanted <strong>to</strong> do and why I wanted <strong>to</strong> make such a long �lm. <strong>The</strong> challenge was <strong>to</strong> make it in two parts that are independent of each o<strong>the</strong>r, yet still create a complete s<strong>to</strong>ry. How do you see your entries at Cannes validating what you’ve been striving <strong>to</strong> do in India? If you get validation from outside, <strong>the</strong>n suddenly everything you do at home is justi�ed. We are brought up in a way where we do what our fa<strong>the</strong>rs do. You are not expected <strong>to</strong> rock <strong>the</strong> boat, you don’t change <strong>the</strong> status quo, especially in �lms, which have been traditionally controlled by a handful of people, actually �lm families. Outsiders are not supposed <strong>to</strong> change anything. I can’t complain about that, but now <strong>the</strong>re is change happening. <strong>The</strong> young �lmmakers really don’t give a damn about <strong>the</strong> establishment. <strong>The</strong>y want <strong>to</strong> do <strong>the</strong>ir own thing, <strong>the</strong>y are not star-struck, especially if you see <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r Indian �lms at Cannes [direc<strong>to</strong>r Ashim Ahluwalia’s Un Certain Regard entry Miss Lovely and Vasan Bala’s Peddlers]. I still have one foot in Bollywood (<strong>the</strong> mainstream Hindi industry), but <strong>the</strong>se guys are <strong>to</strong>tally independent of that. <strong>The</strong>y worked hard for years <strong>to</strong> get <strong>the</strong>ir �lms made independently. My �lm is still funded by a studio [Viacom18 Motion Pictures]. My responsibility is now only <strong>to</strong> Vital Stats Nationality India Born September 10, 1972 Film in Cannes Gangs of Wasseypur Selected Filmography That Girl in Yellow Boots, Mumbai Cutting, Udaan Notable Awards 2011 Filmfare Award for best screenplay: Udaan 21 my kind of cinema, but <strong>the</strong>se new direc<strong>to</strong>rs will do more <strong>to</strong> change Indian cinema since <strong>the</strong>ir �lms are very fearless. So you don’t think Gangs of Wasseypur is fearless? It is fearless only in its cost and casting [as it has mostly non-marquee but great ac<strong>to</strong>rs, like Manoj Bajpai]. In terms of s<strong>to</strong>rytelling, it is entertaining and mainstream, but not that fearless. It is not a Bollywood �lm, but about a place that is impacted by Bollywood, so it makes it commercial. <strong>The</strong> West sometimes doesn’t understand Bollywood, but <strong>the</strong>y can de�nitely understand how Bollywood in�uences people. What is your agenda at Cannes? We want <strong>to</strong> reach out <strong>to</strong> as many people as possible and try and sell our �lms as widely as possible. We want <strong>to</strong> expand our audience — that’s my main agenda. [Parisbased international sales agent] Elle Driver has taken on Gangs of Wasseypur and Peddlers, and we are working closely with <strong>the</strong>m [via Kashyap’s banner AKFPL] <strong>to</strong> expand <strong>the</strong> market for <strong>the</strong>se �lms. One of your upcoming projects is Bombay Velvet starring <strong>to</strong>p Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor. How are you exploring uncharted waters with that? It is not an o�eat �lm, but for me Bombay Velvet is one that rede�nes <strong>the</strong> mainstream. It’s a love s<strong>to</strong>ry set in 1960s Mumbai, showing <strong>the</strong> changing face of <strong>the</strong> city, <strong>the</strong> subculture and <strong>the</strong> jazz age. It’s a �ctional take on actual events. It’s a �lm noir in <strong>the</strong> jazz underworld. Wasn’t Danny Boyle involved with Bombay Velvet? Your connection with him goes back <strong>to</strong> Slumdog Millionaire, for which he extensively referred <strong>to</strong> your 2004 film Black Friday. In spirit, Danny Boyle is with Bombay Velvet, but details as <strong>to</strong> what kind of participation he will have are still <strong>to</strong> be �nalized later with <strong>the</strong> studio [Viacom18 Motion Pictures]. Danny is always backing me. I keep bouncing Bombay Velvet stu� o� of him. How do you see an unconventional direc<strong>to</strong>r like you working with a mainstream star like Ranbir. Is <strong>the</strong>re a conflict in sensibilities? I don’t think so. Today <strong>the</strong>re is a new crop of mainstream ac<strong>to</strong>rs like Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor, who are of a di�erent sensibility. I think <strong>the</strong> Internet has changed <strong>the</strong> world. Even in <strong>Hollywood</strong>, direc<strong>to</strong>rs such as <strong>the</strong> Coen bro<strong>the</strong>rs, Chris Nolan and David Fincher were all considered experimental. And now <strong>the</strong>y are <strong>the</strong> ones <strong>to</strong>tally rede�ning <strong>the</strong> mainstream. I mean <strong>The</strong> Dark Knight is a really good movie that reached both critics and mainstream audiences. In Indian cinema that is missing, but now it is changing. THR day6_qa.indd 1 5/20/12 4:01 PM
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