Anurag Kashyap says ‘the atmosphere in the industry is very restrictive’

Anurag co-directed the first Netflix original produced in India, Sacred Games, and while he has worked with the streamer again, he hasn’t done another show. His last film was the political satire Choked. His last theatrical release was 2018’s Manmarziyaan, also starring Taapsee.

At a recent screening of his next film Dobaaraa, Anurag Kashyap discussed the concern that exists in the film industry around what can and cannot be depicted on screen. He was asked if the rise of streaming platforms in India had promoted his sort of storytelling, and he said that it's a double-edged sword. “I like long-form storytelling, and I’ve been working on lots of stuff but we’re also dealing with a kind of atmosphere where one is very restricted in the kind of drama that you can do,” said the director.

He further added, “At the moment, we can’t do anything that is remotely political, or remotely religious. Those are big nos. And big nos not because anyone has said that you can’t do that, but because everybody is living in an atmosphere where they don’t know how anybody is going to react. Right now, we’re very fragile, we’re very easily offended. So, for creators in India, it’s a great time to create long-form storytelling and new experimental stuff, but at the same time, we are walking a very thin line.”

Anurag said that his next science fiction movie Dobaaraa is a remake of the Spanish film Mirage, which deals with time travel and parallel universes. The film stars Taapsee Pannu and Pavail Gulati in lead roles. The flick is slated to release on August 19, 2022.