Anurag Kashyap: Shaitaan is a Better Film Than Udaan

Posted by admin on Apr 25th, 2011 | 0 comments

The Dev D director says, “I was really fortunate that the industry didn’t pass Bijoy’s film and ultimately it came to me. But it’s unfortunate that the whole industry couldn’t see a brilliant idea in a great filmmaker and that’s why a lot of good filmmakers with good ideas get wasted here. I didn’t need to think twice to do Shaitaan.” He refutes the compliment that he is helping many young directors find their footing in the Indian film industry, “I have not helped them; in fact, they have helped me. Looking at things from my perspective, I feel they have given me a chance to earn credibility from their films and I’ve got the power to continue making such films (about 1993 Mumbai blasts).”

“It’s sad for the industry as it cannot see a Vikramaditya Motwane before ‘Udaan’ or a Bijoy before ‘Shaitaan’,” said the director. Udaan not only won critical and popular acclaim in India but it was also screened at the 2010 Cannes International Film Festival and became the first film to represent India in the prestigious fest’s official section in the last seven years.

He describes his next production venture “Shaitaan” as “A David Fincher kind of movie, set in Mumbai, made by an Indian”.”Shaitaan is a film that deals with a group of five rich kids. They have access to money, are from affluent backgrounds, but they don’t do anything, so they experiment with life like a lot of kids of this generation. Then comes that one moment that really turns around their lives,” he says.

Anurag adds, “Bijoy used to come home to meet Kalki to discuss her role and at that time it was meant to have Arshad Warsi and some more people. It was a far bigger project and somebody else was producing it.But I realised that the film is not moving for almost two years. So I told Bijoy ‘if things are not working out, let me know, I’ll produce it, it’s just that I can’t do it on a big budget’. So it started with that and one day he came and said I would like you to produce my film.”

The director rates Shaitaan even better than Udaan. “For me, when I saw ‘Udaan’, I felt that it’s better than most of my films, and now I feel the same about ‘Shaitaan’. I think everyone will like this film. I’m extremely proud of it”

Shaitaan stars Rajeev Khandelwal and Kashyap’s actress girlfriend Kalki Koechlin. Though Arshad was supposed to do the lead role, it eventually went to Rajeev Khandelwal. The movie will release in June 2011.