Anurag Kashyap: The Mukkabaaz Of Indian Cinema

Hindi film Industry can be said to have relegated to a few influential names today than it ever was. Apart from the A-listers, there are many trying at their stentorian best, yet seem voiceless – Anurag Kashyap is one of them.

Voices that need to be heard, stories worthy of being shared remain in gloomy corners devoid of the audience for only sonorous can make it as far to carve out its own audience in the cacophony the industry has become.

So it all becomes an eco-chamber. Unable to recognize new voices, runs in its own loop, with same ways. Perpetually churning out kitsch. It is becoming increasingly difficult for new makers to hew out the audience for themselves and make their voices heard.

The man who’s successfully waded his way through this bog to get to the point where he can be an inspiration, compel others to stand for themselves is the man worth all the plaudits. Anurag Kashyap in a way has rejuvenated indie scene, brought it closest to commercial yet retained the grit and soul of it.

Right from his association with RGV during Satya up until the point he’s ready with Mukkabaaz, that from the reports so far seems to be a marvelous auteur-ship, he’s been a part of some of the finest films of the recent times. Kashyap’s firmly and ferociously stood up for what he’s thought to be right.

There’s lot more to him than willing to or rather being capable of standing up to the system. In a society which considers whatever is convenient is the truth, it can’t be discomforting, he challenges it with his work. Black Friday would be an exemplary piece to show this. In all the quagmires the auteur in him does not get what it richly deserves.

I can hardly fathom anyone taking up the onus of making one of the all-time classic Devdas, especially after it had already been given a complete exhaustive commercial veneer recently. The way Kashyap’s done the con-naturalization with his ways and brought it under his fold is something none other could have done. Making you squirm with discomfort and yet appreciate the rawness and crude truth can only be done through his form of vicarious experience. He has unmatched will and wit to tell the stories that no one else does and in a way, no one else can.