Anurag Kashyap reveals Gangs of Wasseypur was taken off screens for Ek Tha Tiger: ‘Hindi cinema is controlled by...'

Anurag Kashyap is a popular filmmaker best for his films like Gangs of Wasseypur, Manmarziyaan, Dobaaraa, etc. The filmmaker is currently awaiting the release of his upcoming movie Kennedy. Recently, the actor talked about how Hindi cinema is controlled by the box office and star system. 

In a recent conversation with Indian Express, Anurag Kashyap opened up on how the Hindi cinema is controlled by box office and star system and said, “I think because Hindi has a template. It is also heavily controlled by the trade, box office, and star system. The latter is there even in the South but look at the Tamil film industry, they’ve given five hits with first-time filmmakers and not with big stars. There’s a certain kind of equality. In Malayalam, they don’t do so many promotions, just straight-up drop their films. In Tamil Nadu, everyone gets to be promoted with an equal amount, there’s a ceiling to it. But here, a big film’s promotion will dominate and a small film will disappear.” 

He added that his movie Gangs Of Wasseypur was taken off-screens for Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger and said, “Even theater owners don’t give space, but equal space is given there. Today, people talk highly about Gangs of Wasseypur, but it was taken off cinemas in nine days because a big film like Ek Tha Tiger was coming. It wasn’t the decision of a star or a producer, it was the decision of the theatres. If that film had done a business of Rs 26 cr in nine days, it would have done more if it got space.” 

He continued to add, “So the system is such and we don’t even have enough cinemas. I’ve chosen to make my kind of film in an atmosphere where I understand why it works and why it doesn’t. So the consequences are also mine, as long as I don’t lose money for others. That’s a lesson I’ve learned, so I keep my budgets low.” 

Helmed by Anurag Kashyap, Kennedy is a neo-noir thriller film starring Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone along with Abhilash Thapliyal, Aamir Dalvi, and Jennifer Piccinato among others in key roles. The movie premiered at Cannes in 2023.

Meanwhile, Anurag Kashyap is also set to play the role of an antagonist in Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer Haddi. Helmed by Ajay Sharma, the vengeance drama revolves around a transgender rookie named Haddi, who travels to Delhi to join a gang of transgenders and rises to the top of the criminal chain. The movie is scheduled to release on September 7 on Zee5.

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