“I am moving out of Mumbai," said filmmaker Anurag Kashyap in a recent interview. The Gangs of Wasseypur director shared his frustration, saying the joy of filmmaking has been “lost.” He criticized talent agencies for promoting stardom over acting skills, accusing them of exploiting young actors for profit and dropping them when they don’t succeed.
Anurag expressed concern about the increasing expenses of making films, blaming it on higher actor salaries and other rising costs. He mentioned, " Now it is difficult for me to go out and experiment as it comes at a cost, which makes my producers think about profit and margins. Right from the beginning, before the film starts, it becomes about how to sell it. So, the joy of filmmaking is sucked out. That’s why I want to move out of Mumbai next year. I am going to the South. I want to go where there is stimulation. Otherwise, I will die as an old man. I am so disappointed and disgusted by my own industry. I am disgusted by the mindset."
He further added, " The mindset is to remake what’s already worked. They won’t try anything new."
He specifically criticized agencies for creating a harmful environment for aspiring actors. He also blamed agencies for distancing actors from filmmakers. He shared a story about an actor who, following their agency's advice, stopped contacting him but later came back seeking career advice after the agency dropped them.
The filmmaker also shared his disappointment with actors he once saw as friends. He said, " My actors, whom I thought of as friends, ghost you because they want to be a certain way. That happens mostly here; it doesn’t happen in Malayalam cinema.”
Anurag recently acted for the first time in the Malayalam film Rifle Club, which also featured rapper Hanumankind in his acting debut.