Anurag Kashyap, the man behind gritty dramas exploring the dark worlds of criminals and gangsters, says he has learnt that the way to an Indian cinegoer's heart is through a love story
Anurag Kashyap
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Anurag Kashyap, the man behind gritty dramas exploring the dark worlds of criminals and gangsters, says he has learnt that the way to an Indian cinegoer's heart is through a love story. But in true Kashyap style, his first love story, the upcoming Mukkabaaz, blurs cinematic genres with a romance that unfolds in a society dominated by caste, politics and religion.
He says, "I have learnt that in India whatever you have to say... say it through a love story. This is what people understand. This is my first full love story." The film, starring Vineet Kumar Singh and Zoya Hussain, is set in Bareilly. Singh plays a Kshatriya wrestler who falls in love with a speech-challenged Brahmin woman. This angers her uncle (Jimmy Sheirgill) who uses his position as the head of the state boxing federation to sabotage his career.
Kashyap, who describes Mukkabaaz as his first prempradhan film, has used the sports drama to dwell on the power dynamics in Uttar Pradesh. Discussing the widely held perception that he is at his best when dealing with socio-political issues and that his films reflect simmering anger, the director says cinema allows him the space to react to things that bother him.
"What people call my anger is my reaction. Luckily, I have the medium to react through cinema. People want to react, but they can't. This is why they connect with my films," he says. Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Kashyap says he understandsthe milieu, its societal nuances and how caste casts a large shadow on day-to-day life. "It is deeply ingrained in us. It will not go. In UP, they ask your name to know your caste and then your gotra," he says.
The protagonists in his film are on similar levels on the caste ladder but the differences persist. "In Haryana, marrying in the same gotra is reason enough for honour killing. The upper-caste versus lower-caste issue is different with the whole dynamic of the oppressor and the oppressed. Here, the friction is between two similar castes."
According to Kashyap, caste operates in the same way as religion. "It has to do with the sense of security. This is why we create ghettos. The Indians who live abroad - they have created a little India, Pakistanis a little Pakistan, Chinese a China Town. When you feel threatened, you seek familiarity and bundle up." He adds, "This is what religion does, it gives a sense of security. It is difficult for a man to stand up and say I did not have it in me to succeed. It is easier to say that it was God's wish and we are caught in this loop."
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