‘Kabir Singh represents 70% of urban India’: Anurag Kashyap defends Shahid Kapoor’s film

Anurag Kashyap says that Kabir Singh represents a majority of urban India, hence it has a right to exist.

Why shouldn't a film like Kabir Singh exist when it represents more than 70 to 80% of urban India, says director Anurag Kashyap, who believes it is important to make people uncomfortable rather than stay politically correct in cinema.

Actor Shahid Kapoor has worked with Anurag Kashyap on Udta Punjab.

There has always been a debate around the role or responsibility of artistes and whether they should bear accountability for the art they put out, but Kashyap says one cannot enforce the existence of one kind of cinema. "The first thing is, it's up to you whether you want to take it on or not. If I disagree with something, if I don't consider cinema of a kind cinema at all, I can't say it cannot exist. I can't enforce that. We can all co-exist," Kashyap told PTI.

"Like there were a lot of controversies around Kabir Singh. Everybody can make any film and should make any film, should represent all kinds of people. Kabir Singh does represent more than 75-80 per cent of urban India. Why not put it out? If I disagree with it, I won't see it. But sometimes it's necessary to see ourselves," the director said. Kashyap was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of Audible Suno, an audio show platform.

Kashyap added, "Being politically correct all the time doesn't help. India as a country, for 75 years, has made films with positive messages, all love stories with happy endings. Where has it brought us? It is very important to make people uncomfortable sometimes."

As the controversy around Kabir Singh picked up steam, people also gave examples of Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur and if its leading men, Manoj Bajpayee and Nawazuddin would take responsibility for the violence in the film. When asked how he views the argument, Nawazuddin said, "What happens in the society, who takes responsibility for that? Films show a very diluted version of what happens out there." Kashyap said artistes are always attracted to everything forbidden.

"When you're told as a kid by your mother not to touch something, you go and touch exactly that. So the human curiosity, for actors and everyone, takes them to things which are forbidden. I'm forever attracted and in love with what is forbidden," he added.

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