Top News

Anurag Kashyap has never really been the filmmaker who played by Bollywood’s rules. His films have challenged conventions, censorship and, at times, the audience itself. But behind Black Friday, Dev.D and Gangs of Wasseypur is a career that came with its own share of setbacks, controversies and unlikely turns.

As Kashyap turns 54 on September 10, his journey from a zoology student who once wanted to become a scientist to one of Hindi cinema’s most distinctive filmmakers is worth revisiting. His first directorial venture, Paanch, remains unreleased, while his next major film, Black Friday, was held back for years. Yet neither setback stopped him from building a body of work that eventually travelled to major international film festivals.

Here are seven lesser-known facts that tell the more fascinating story behind the filmmaker.

1. Did Anurag Kashyap Really Want To Become A Scientist?

Long before cinema took over his life, Kashyap was studying zoology and preparing for a career in science. His plans changed after he watched Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves at the International Film Festival of India in Delhi in 1993. The experience convinced him to pursue filmmaking, eventually taking him to Mumbai.

2. Why Was His Directorial Debut Never Released?

Kashyap’s first feature as a director was Paanch, a dark crime drama about five friends who turn to crime. The film ran into censorship problems and, despite being cleared after cuts at one stage, never received a theatrical release. It remains one of the most talked-about unreleased Hindi films.

3. What Happened To Black Friday?

If Paanch never reached theatres, Black Friday had an equally difficult journey. Based on Hussain Zaidi’s book about the 1993 Mumbai bombings, the film was stopped from releasing in India while the court case connected to the blasts was pending. It eventually reached theatres in 2007, nearly three years after its original release plans.

4. How Did Satya Become His Big Break?

Before becoming a director, Kashyap made his mark as a writer. His work on Ram Gopal Varma’s Satya became a major breakthrough and established him as a writer capable of bringing a darker, more grounded voice to mainstream Hindi cinema. Kashyap himself has described working with Varma as being like going to film school.

5. Was Gangs Of Wasseypur Really Inspired By The Godfather?

Not quite. The film has often been compared with The Godfather, Scorsese and Tarantino, but Kashyap has pushed back against some of those comparisons. The sprawling crime saga was rooted in real stories from Wasseypur and the socio-political history of the region.

6. Why Was Gangs Of Wasseypur Split Into Two Films?

The original film was shot as one enormous project running for more than five hours. Since Indian theatres were not going to screen a film of that length, it was eventually divided into two parts. The complete film was later screened at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight.

7. How Did The Filmmaker Who Faced Bans Become An International Name?

Kashyap’s career eventually moved far beyond the controversies surrounding his early films. Gangs of Wasseypur received international recognition, while his work across films, production and writing helped establish him as one of the most influential voices of contemporary Indian independent cinema.

The post Anurag Kashyap Birthday Special: The Film That Never Released, The Film That Was Banned — 7 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know appeared first on NewsX.