Anurag Kashyap says Bollywood producers 'don't understand anything new or nuanced'

India's cinema seems to have found a new hit formula: re-releases.

Over the last two years, while many new films have struggled to fill theatres, older films are once again pulling audiences back. From classics like Pyaasa and Shree 420 to '90s favourites such as Karan Arjun and Andaz Apna Apna, re-releases have become a trend.

Recommended For You

AI and stablecoins reshape DeFi infrastructure for future finance

How the UAE helped break the India-Pakistan World Cup deadlock

35 Dubai flights affected due to fog; passengers advised to check with airlines

Jack Grealish's season over after undergoing foot surgery

Tottenham Hotspur sack manager Frank with relegation dogfight looming

 

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap attributes this to the producers. He said while writers and directors have plenty of new ideas, the producers only look for safe projects.

"The biggest problem in our industry is the producers. They decide what will work and what won't because they only want to make hit films)," Kashyap said.

"They don't understand anything new or nuanced," he added.

He also spoke about how very few filmmakers stick to their stories despite rejection. Referring to the recently released blockbuster film Saiyaara, the filmmaker praised Mohit Suri for holding on to his film even after many producers said no.

The film, which starred debutants Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, went on to become a surprise hit.

Kashyap emphasised, "Very few people hold on to their stories, like Suri did with Saiyaara. So many producers refused; nobody understood it. "He wanted to make it with new actors, in his own way, and he did not give up. He suffered for 6-7 years but still made it," he said.

He added that now everyone in the industry will see this as a new trend. "This herd mentality is among producers. The problem lies with them."

Meanwhile, Kashyap is gearing up for his next film, Nishaanchi, a crime drama set in early 2000s Uttar Pradesh. The film introduces Aaishvary Thackeray in a double role as brothers Babloo and Dabloo, with Vedika Pinto in a key role. Nishaanchi will hit theatres on September 19.