THE DIRECTOR’S SPACE
Anurag Kashyap can be no doubt regarded as one of the most influential voices of Indian cinema. He is the man who has changed the very perception of Bollywood at a global level. Any movie be it under his direction, production or story writing, has a heart and soul of its own. Picking his ideas from both- the most grounded and the most sophisticated of places and making them come to life on celluloid has been his magic.
Here are a few among his many gems which I believe that anyone of you who has watched, must have appreciated the “awesomeness” and if you have not yet watched them guys, it’s the time to taste some real cinema. These from the palette of Anurag Kashyap:-
Our very modern take on Sarat Chandra’s Devdas where our Paro is no longer the shy and gentle girl but a very impulsive modern woman who can express her sexuality and emotions boldly, played very convincingly by Mahie Gill. And our Devdas here (played by Abhay Deol) does not end up his life in sorrow but rather begins a new life with Chanda, the character played brilliantly by Kalki Koechlin. Her story from the MMS scandal to getting into prostitution, from her frustration and hatred for the world to finally loving Dev, Kalki shines in her role. DEV D is no doubt among the path breaking movies in Hindi cinemas.
GULAAL– another masterpiece from Kashyap’s stables is a take on hunger for power and the darkness behind power. With some of the brilliant performances by the likes of Kay Kay Menon, Piyush Mishra, Raj Singh Chaudhary and Ayesha Mohan, the movie explores various scenarios like student politics, family disputes over legitimacy and the hypocrisy of the rich and the powerful.
The first movie to be selected in the official section of Cannes in a period of seven years was UDAAN. It is a heart stirring tale of a teenager’s struggle.Along with the very common teenage issues of career, friends, drugs, alcohol, porn, girlfriend etc, this teenage of ours is faced with a very miserable issue also- that of an abusive father. The story progresses with this pain of his which he finally overcomes and hopes to make the world better not only for himself but also his step brother. Brilliant performances by Rajat Barmecha, Ronit Roy and Ram Kapoor.
Kashyap’s wife Kalki Koechlin co-wrote THAT GIRL IN YELLOW BOOTS with him which was a formula breaking movie. A completely different movie especially for the Indian audience, the movie traced the life and journey of a white woman Ruth (played by Kalki herself) in Mumbai and her search for her father. She struggled at every point be at a government office, at her work in a massage parlour or with her drug addict boyfriend. Facing the cruel response of the people, being treated as the odd one out in this country, she does not lose hope only to be faced with a bitter truth at the end. Kalki once again through this movie proves that she is a rare gem in Bollywood.
A recent feather in Kashyap’s hat comes with GANGS OF WASSEYPUR– 1 and 2. A story of power struggles and revenge, these movies together expand along a period of more than half a century. Set in the coal rich region of Dhanbad and Wasseypur, the story follows disputes between families, violence and revenge. The performances of Manoj Bajpai in Part 1 and Nawazzudin Siddiqui in Part 2 are perhaps their best till date. The movie is quite different from the mainstream cinema due to the rawness in its language, scenes as well as music.
This about Kashyap and a few of his classic movies. But the list does not end here at all. There are many more jewels in his crown and more yet to come. His movies are adorned with realistic approach and thrill. He holds quite a credit for bringing appreciation for the Indian cinema at a global level. All his movies are an example of his genius and subtle mind.
