Anurag Kashyap Calls “Pan-India Films” a Massive Scam
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, known for his candid takes and unapologetic storytelling, has taken a shot at the increasing trend of “pan-India” films. In a bombshell interview, Kashyap referred to the trend as a “massive scam”, noting its reliance on artificial sets, large budgets, and a production model which usually doesn’t make money.
“Money is being poured into making artificial sets. It is all artificial, and only 1% films out of the entire lot actually work,”
— stated the Kennedy director, who reignited a discussion on the viability of pan-India blockbusters, which increasingly dominate the theatrical calendar.
A Cracked Formula? Kashyap Analyzes The Film Industry’s Latest Craze
The term “pan-India” has become Bollywood’s new buzzword after the success of films like Baahubali, KGF, and RRR, but according to Kashyap, an emphasis on scale has trumped narrative.
“We are creating the illusion that this is the only type of cinema that works,” he said.
In an industry increasingly betting on high-stake spectacles, Kashyap believes that the pressure to cater to a mass audience across languages and regions has led to a reduction in authenticity in the storytelling process, which is resulting in more misses than hits.
Kashyap’s Call for Grounded Storytelling Vs Glitzy Vanity Projects
While avoiding specific labels, Kashyap’s views expose an antithesis to the trend of filmmaking that emphasises multi-language, multi-market spectacles without regard for rootedness or local culture.
Known for his films such as Gangs of Wasseypur, Black Friday, and Dev.D, the filmmaker had indeed always opted for realism over pretence, and in fact, both Kashyap’s sentiment and the increasingly tired feeling among sectors of the industry, as well as sections of the audiences.
“I do not have a problem with scale, it is a false thought to think that scale equals success,” he explained.
BoxOfficeWorldwide Verdict
As the film industry is worriedly obsessed with pan-India packaging, Anurag Kashyap‘s direct comments provide a breath of fresh air that contradict such waves of trend.
His comments may not sit well comfortably with production houses; however, they do address a truth — that cinema marketed as spectacle with no deep, localised essence may make a loud roar at first. However, it does not last.
In the face of the increasing debate of quality vs. quantity, Kashyap has certainly ignited the glossy set once again.
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