There should be no film censorship: Anurag Kashyap

By Dibyojyoti Baksi

Mumbai, Nov 4 (IANS) Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap feels there should be no film censorship at all. Even as he tries to push the boundaries, he says in India it's not easy to make films criticising real life politicians or to even use the term 'sex'.

"There shouldn't be any censorship on making a film. We are still very conservative about the term sex," Kashyap, known for experimental films like "Dev D", told IANS on the sidelines of the 11th Mumbai Film Festival (MFF).

"I am trying to push my boundaries so that everything in the film looks real."

Kashyap, who has always framed real life incidents through his film like "Black Friday" and "Gulaal", wonders if he could make a film like Gabriel Range's "Death of A President".

"'Death of A President' was made with President George Bush still alive, but we can't introduce a scene where four people are chatting over tea and cursing politician Raj Thackeray," says Kashyap.

The 37-year-old director believes recession has been good for Bollywood.

"Recession has cut Bollywood into shape. Miscellaneous expenses were more than the actual cost of the film. Recession helped in cutting down the fat," says Kashyap.

He believes there are fewer producers for bold or out-of-the-box movies.

"There is a scarcity of producers who can risk new ideas. Most of the producers are businessmen and they look for recovery. So they invest only if they are convinced that the story will sell," says Kashyap.

"I always make a film on a tight budget, so UTV has signed me for nine films," said Kashyap. When asked about his forthcoming project, "Udaan", he says, "I have finished shooting the film."

Talking about the ongoing Mumbai festival, where he is planning to see a couple of movies, he regretted that movies were getting only one screening there.

"At any other film festival there is at least two to three screenings of every film. MFF is the first place where there is only one screening. People should complain about it," says Kashyap.

(Dibyojyoti Baksi can be contacted at dibyojyoti.b@ians.in)

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