Anurag Kashyap prepares for mainstream venture

He is looked upon as the flag bearer of realistic and meaningful cinema in Bollywood. But Anurag Kashyap’s next outing, Gangs of Wasseypur, will see him jump into commercial territory.

He is looked upon as the flag bearer of realistic and meaningful cinema in Bollywood. But Anurag Kashyap’s next outing, Gangs of Wasseypur, will see him jump into commercial territory. And to amp it up, the Dev.D (2009) director has hired a completely new team to take care of the film’s marketing, including the poster design, promo cuts and music publicity.

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“When it came to choosing the marketing team, Anurag’s criterion was its prowess in handling commercial films. He wanted a team that has been working on mainstream films to handle his latest venture,” says an insider.

Anurag, who is known for his multiplex-friendly and edgy films, also feels that Gangs of Wasseypur is his first no-holds-barred commercial film. “But it’s without the stars,” he says, adding, “It’s funny and sad, but at the same time replete with full-on action. I was lucky to chance upon this story. It’s the world that I saw through Zeishan Quadri, the film’s co-writer and actor, who told me about these stories from Wasseypur.”

Touted as a family drama spread across three generations and six decades, the film is a tale of revenge, crime and love, set against the backdrop of Wasseypur, a small town near Dhanbad.