Anurag Kashyap says filmmakers no longer look at reviews for validation: 'Gine chune reviewer hain jinki respect hai'

Anurag Kashyap speaks about Stolen and what ails Hindi cinema in a candid chat with HT.

Anurag Kashyap is one of the four acclaimed filmmakers who have thrown their weight behind debutant director Karan Tejpal's Stolen. The action thriller premiered on Amazon Prime Video earlier this month, with Anurag as one of the four executive producers. The others are Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, and Nikkhil Advani. In a chat with HT, the filmmaker opened up about backing Stolen, and what needs to change in Bollywood. (

Anurag Kashyap speaks about Stolen and what ails Hindi cinema.

On becoming executive producer of Stolen

Anurag says that the USP of Stolen is not the names behind it, but its content. "Us being there helps because we all come from very different thoughts of filmmaking," he says, adding, "All four of us have very different styles of filmmaking. So, if all of us are coming behind one film, it helps it reach out to diverse audience."

Talking about a new director's film getting the backing of four experienced filmmakers, Anurag calls it a 'fantastic thing'. "I wish I had that early in my career. Imagine four senior filmmakers coming together to support the release of Gulaal, Black Friday, or Paanch. It would have been so great," he says.

On distrust in Bollywood

During the chat, Nikkhil Advani talks about how the audience no longer trusts the filmmakers due to 'paid reviews' and other unethical practices. Anurag echoes, "Audience doesn't trust anything. It's true!" But he argues that even the filmmakers' trust in a lot of things has now eroded. He explains, "I remember a time when we got great reviews for our movies from critics that we looked up to for validation. It gave us personal joy. Now, it doesn't matter. Gine chune 4-5 reviewer hain jinko respect karte hain (There are 4-5 critics who command respect)."

Stolen stars Abhishek Banerjee in the lead. The film has received critical acclaim and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.