Anurag Kashyap is a filmmaker that has seemingly reinvented himself through his films but he is arguably most known for his dark films, and those which are experimental for Indian cinema. He’s often referred to as the Martin Scorsese of the sub-continent.
The filmmaker is at the London Indian Film Festival (LIFF) this year, on its 10th birthday, and he will be delivering a Screen Talk. BizAsiaLive.com caught up with Kashyap ahead of his appearance at the festival.
You’re attending LIFF 2019 and giving a screen talk this time. What are you most excited about for this?
I am most excited to be at LIFF because I was there when it all began. I am looking forward to meeting & interacting with my industry colleagues and friends, also enjoying London and catching up with some movies.
What or who would you highlight as being your biggest influences through your journey in cinema?
My biggest influence over the years have been people like De Sica. Also, the whole movement of the new cinema that started in 1930s. Noir, Fritz Lang, Scorsese, Melville. Among the various influences are also Guru Dutt & Bimal Roy.
LIFF marks its 10th year this year. Reflecting on its journey, and cinema in the last 10 years, what would you say is vital for such film festivals and its audiences?
Festivals are important because when I lived in Delhi, we used to have these Japanese film festivals etc, and we suddenly got to see a lot of films from a particular country or a region. France has a collective of films which travel across the world, putting forward their films, because I think films are like the soft cultural ambassador of any kind of culture or a country. Through cinema, we can do that, and initiate in various countries that they themselves take their films all over the world. I am proud to be a part of Indian cinema, that Indians are across the world and everywhere they have Indian film festivals. To be able to go and be there is such a great feeling.
BizAsiaLive.com would like to thank Anurag Kashyap for talking to us.
***Those interested can buy tickets to see Anurag Kashyap in conversation with English director Peter Webber who made ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’, at BFI Southbank, London on Friday 28th June. You can purchase them here: https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=anuragkashyapinconversation&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id= ***
