There was a terrorist attack on Bombay Velvet - Anurag Kashyap

Director-turned-actor Anurag Kashyap is a happy man. His acting debut in A.R. Murugadoss' Akira is winning him rave reviews. The filmmaker is content with the positivity coming his way, especially after the debacle of his much-ambitious project Bombay Velvet. In a candid chat, Anurag talks about his acting debut, why Bombay Velvet's failure scarred him permanently and more. Read on...

Your character has got a lot of critical acclaim in the reviews. Were you expecting this kind of response?
No, I was not. I am a director; I can’t watch myself in an interview, forget in a movie. I look at myself and think why I would want to cast myself anywhere.
It’s like you find your voice strange. You hear yourself talking and it feels so weird.

Karan Johar had said the same thing during Bombay Velvet.
But it’s a fact. I was like ‘I have such a deep voice’. Had I known this before, I could have gone on so many dates. You don’t realize this about your own self, everything seems fake.

Did you improvise while shooting for the film and did you have any inputs?
When I am an actor, I want to be the actor that I want on my set; who believes and trusts the director. If I have said yes to it (a film), I will go along with it all the way and do it with sincerity
 
Did your daughter watch the film?
When I told her let’s go and watch the film, she first asked me, ‘do you die (in the film)?’ I told her, ‘yes, maybe’. She asked me for a definite answer and I said ‘yes (I die)' and she was like ‘I don’t want to watch the film'. She says the same thing (as me). She was like, ‘papa, it is so weird to see you act on screen’.
 
Do you read the reviews of your film as an actor or a director?
No, but for the first time I am reading messages (for Akira). I used to read a lot of reviews earlier. When I am directing a film, I read reviews on recommendation. Over the years, you realize that people have some different expectation from you. Half of the time it is not the film that is being reviewed, it is their expectation that is being reviewed, so I stopped reading it. It is nothing, you just feel bad about yourself so why read? So that’s why I read on recommendation like if somebody says that you must read this review of your film, then I read it.
 
But did you read the Akira reviews, as you were acting in it and not directing?
I got a lot of messages. I was awake till 5:30 in the morning. I don’t read them because I get too conscious. I don’t read and watch my interviews because I don’t want to alter the way I am. I don’t want to get conscious about what I have to say. What is there inside, I say it. When you read it, you’ll think that you shouldn’t have said that. So it’s better to not read. There will be no fear if you are the way you are.
 
Karan Johar had said that when a director debuts as an actor, it is more of a responsibility because people have judged you as a director.
It is a responsibility. For me, my biggest worry was, if anything goes wrong with Akira, people will say, ‘Accha-khaasa Murugadoss (AR Murugadoss), hit films banata tha, Anurag ne usko bhi dubaa diya. (AR Murugadoss used to make hit films and because of Anurag, this film will be a flop). (laughs) It’s a burden and it was always there in my head.
 
So it was like aapke naam pe bill phatega (you will be blamed for it)..
Haa, log baithe hue hai aapke naam pe bill phadne ko (People are sitting there and waiting to blame you). That happens every time if anything goes wrong.
As a director, I am happy to take the blame because it is my blame but I am blamed for everything wherever I go and whatever I do.
 
How do you see AR Murugadoss as a director?
He is an amazing guy and an amazing story teller. He has so much clarity and conviction. He is very clear about catering to an audience. He says that I am not going to sit and make a film to please a person who is coming with an opinion of what he expects. I am speaking to my people and first I have to like it.
He is an amazing guy and I love him.
 
In an interview, he said that he likes to make films with a realistic backdrop but also with the commercial element.
You have to understand that he is a man who has come from the roots. Most regional cinema is more rooted in India than Hindi cinema. The people who are rooted have their way of story telling which is also why a lot of South Indian filmmakers work very well in Hindi. They understand the mass well because they have emerged from there. The need of story telling and filmmaking has come from there so they will always work much more. They will always be more successful. My audience is very niche. I am far too educated for my own good. I find it very difficult to simplify it which he (AR Murugadoss) simplifies so easily. I feel (with my movies) that what more to make the audience understand than this, but they don’t understand it. How will you judge the level of simplicity.
 
So the level of thinking is different?
With Raman Raghav 2.0, I tried to make the audience understand everything; there were long scenes, so many dialogues, he (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) sits and gives a speech but still people didn’t understand.
 
Do you think now the audience has become more accepting to all kinds of cinema?
There is all kind of an audience. Eventually, I also have an audience. It’s just unfortunate that my audience is a Torrents audience. (laughs)

You make unconventional films as a director but when you were debuting as an actor, was there a thought behind it, that you’d want to come with a commercial film?
No, I have no ambition as an actor. You saw what I did in Happy New Year.
 
So how did you agree to do a film, as an actor?
Sometimes it’s an emotional reason, sometimes, some other reason. In Happy New Year, Farah Khan (director) misused me and apne pyaar mein phasa liya. Farah Khan ne Vishal Dadlani aur mujhe jhaasa diya aur lapet liya biryani khila khila ke. She fed us biryani for 3 Eids and said now at least do the roles, so we did it.
 
What convinced you for the role this time?
This time, it was Murugadoss’ conviction. I was saying no for a long time but when I met him, I saw his conviction and said I’ll do this.
 
Will we see you more often as an actor?
No. The whole world is after me, asking me to leave direction.
 
Won't you act even in your films?
In my film, never. How do I direct myself? I can’t do that. I am not Manoj Kumar. If I need money, I will act and earn maybe but I don’t think I can direct myself.
 
Would you ever direct a film like Murugadoss?
We are all our own people. It’s like every person should do their work which he does with conviction. If I direct a film because I want to make a hit like Murugadoss sir then it will be a guaranteed flop. If I do it with conviction, it’ll work.
 
You mentioned about people not understanding the kind of films you make. After having worked with AR Murugadoss, you know his style of working and how he simplifies things. Will that be a learning for you?
There is learning everywhere. I have learnt a lot from Murugadoss and I learn a lot from failures and also from people who aren’t filmmakers. I get learning from my driver also. It depends on you. Whether you see it and take it or not, and with Murugadoss I have definitely learnt a lot.

What’s next on cards for you?
Nothing, I have just been writing. Next, I want a holiday.
 
There were reports about you directing a horror film.
I have written a horror film and a lot of stuff but I don’t know what I’ll start first. We want to first finish writing. 2016 is dedicated to writing and development. Whole of Phantom (Films) is writing. Andaz Apna Apna is also being written. Till we don’t work on all the scripts, we won’t get into production.
 
When you remake a cult classic, does it get difficult?
I have no idea about that because the film is still being written and I haven’t read it. I am not writing it. Two writers, who are huge fans of the original, are writing it. From what they have made me hear, it looked fun.
 
Have you thought of a sequel to Raman Raghav 2.0?
No. I have a lot of scripts. I have at least 7 stories which are ready.
 
What’s your take on the entire Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Shivaay and KRK thing?
I don’t have a take on this. I don’t even understand why anybody needs to have a take on that. It’s a created thing. The media talks about it, people talk about it so everybody feels compelled to talk about it, it’s just that.
 
Ajay Devgn tweeted an audio and hence the media had to cover the entire issue.
I don’t think that way. Literally, I am telling you, my life has become so much easier ever since I stopped reading papers and what’s going on in the world. When the film released (Bombay Velvet), I was reading about that. There was a terrorist attack on my film so I had to read it. I didn’t understand what had happened. I will watch what I want to watch, what I don’t like I won’t watch it. The one that I like and don’t, I don’t need to say it. I would rather say what I like and not say what I don’t like. All the great critics across the world, except India, they write a long review and when they don’t like it, they write a 5 line review and leave it. In India, if they don’t like a film, they will passionately write a long review. You don’t like the film, be indifferent to it, and ignore it. What we miss today is those campaign critics, people who campaign a movie that needs campaigning.
They (critics) are busy trashing because it is about negative headlines. The whole business has become about negative headlines. In my opinion, if somebody doesn’t like a film, they should just leave it.
 
Do you think people got personal on Bombay Velvet?
That I don’t know. Today, whatever happens, I get into that picture somehow.
I don’t understand what to do. I think that even when I go out, and if there is flooding on the road, that is also because of me. 
 
So has all this affected you to a great extent?
Darr lagta hai (I get scared), that all this will also be the headline. It has affected me a lot. Don’t you see the damage it has done to me? I have scars on my brain. I am permanently scarred.