Anurag Kashyap criticizes India's lack of support for independent cinema
Acclaimed filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has vehemently expressed dissatisfaction with the Indian government's lack of support for independent cinema. In a recent interview with PTI, he stated that victories at prestigious film festivals like the Cannes Film Festival belong solely to the filmmakers and not to India as a nation. He emphasized that award-winning films are not truly Indian as they receive little to no governmental support.
'India didn't have any moment at Cannes'
Kashyap pointed out that All We Imagine As Light by Payal Kapadia, which historically won the Grand Prix at Cannes, was funded by a French company. "India didn't have any moment at Cannes, not a single of those films is Indian. We need to address it the way it should be addressed. India has stopped supporting such cinema, the kind of cinema that was at Cannes." Notably, India had a remarkable run at the 77th Cannes.
Kashyap criticized India's obsession with Cannes's red carpet
Kashyap expressed his frustration with India's focus on the glamor of Cannes's red carpet rather than its cinema. He expressed, "This obsession India has with Cannes... More than Cannes, it's about the red carpet. I get more angry when I hear these things... Geetanjali Rao got three awards at Cannes (for Printed Rainbow) in 2003, I wrote an article on it, but it was not recognized, rarely anyone wrote about that here." "There's no support system here," he lamented.
'Everyone is here to do business'
Kashyap explained the economics of independent cinema, saying, "The pressure is on a small film too; they can't spend much on the visibility of the film. Besides, those films are unable to make the recovery, you don't get good show timings, as good show timings are covered by big films." "We have made many independent films, I've seen how much support they get and don't get. At the end of the day, in India, everyone is here to do business."
His films and his stance on 'fake celebration'
Kashyap, known for films like Gangs of Wasseypur, Ugly, and Kennedy which have been screened at Cannes, has been vocal about the lack of support for independent cinema in India. "India just likes to take credit for a lot of things, they do not support these films, and they don't even support these films to have a release in cinema." "Stop taking credit for it. Let's stop this fake celebration."
