Anurag Kashyap says Bollywood bends easily to power, but South doesn't: ‘They sometimes feel ashamed, but…’

Anurag Kashyap critiqued Bollywood's pressure to compromise under power. He contrasted it with the South's resilience.

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has often been vocal about the pressures within the Hindi film industry and how Bollywood can bend easily when faced with those in power. In a recent conversation, the filmmaker compared Bollywood with the South and explained why he believes the latter is less likely to compromise. He said that once people give in to demands, the benefits that come with that first compromise make it difficult to draw the line later.

Anurag Kashyap talked about why Bollywood compromises easily compared to South.

Anurag Kashyap says Bollywood bends easily to power

In a chat with Janice Sequeira, Anurag said that he does not believe people in Bollywood willingly compromise. According to him, once someone gives in to a demand, it becomes difficult to reverse that decision. He explained that the first compromise opens the door to further compromises, especially because it often comes with significant benefits. Once a person accepts those benefits, he said, it becomes increasingly difficult to shut that door.

Comparing it to other industries, he said, “Other industries are very regionally strong, but they have a culture which is so very strong, which can’t be divided on the same lines. But the centre also wants to capture the Hindi-speaking masses. So you will see only those people getting compromised who want to make a dent in the Hindi audience. It’s those kinds of people who bend, not the others. South doesn’t get compromised because they don’t depend on Hindi.”

Anurag added that people in the industry are well aware of the compromises they make and said, "I think they’re already woken up. As I said, once the door has been opened, it can’t be shut. It’s not like they are not aware. They’re aware, they’re woken up, they also feel embarrassed, they also sometimes feel ashamed. They also can’t do anything about it, which is why nobody voluntarily does anything until they’re specifically asked to, individually asked."

Earlier, in an interview, the actor had called Bollywood "toxic" for chasing unrealistic targets, trying to make the next ₹500 or ₹800 crore film. He called out the lack of creative atmosphere in the Hindi film industry and revealed that he is leaving Mumbai to get settled in Bangalore.

Anurag Kashyap's recent movie

The filmmaker's most recent release was Bandar. Helmed by Anurag and produced by Nikhil Dwivedi under his banner Saffron Magicworks, the film featured Bobby Deol in the title role, alongside Sanya Malhotra, Sapna Pabbi, Saba Azad, Indrajith Sukumaran, Raj B. Shetty and Jitendra Joshi. The film received positive reviews, with many critics calling it Anurag's best work in years. However, the positive reviews didn't translate to box office performance. The film collected only ₹4.97 crore at the box office.