Director Anurag Kashyap has criticized the Indian theatrical system for draining non-blockbuster Hindi films like the recently released ‘Bandar’ and Imtiaz Ali’s ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ in terms of number of screens and timings, while Hollywood releases like ‘Obsession’ continue to enjoy much better exposure.
In a recent candid interview, Kashyap argued that the industry’s focus on event films, citing Ranveer Singh-starrer ‘Dhurandhar’ as the rare blockbuster and ‘event film’ that justifies this model, creates a self-destructive cycle where only expensive films are made, smaller films are never allowed to be promoted, and audiences are steadily pushed towards OTT consumption. Kashyap also recalled the time when fellow directors Rajkumar Hirani, Aamir Khan and Siddharth Roy Kapur personally intervened to ensure that his 2014 film ‘Ugly’ got three shows alongside ‘PK’, and lamented that this solidarity no longer exists.
‘I’m angry’: Anurag Kashyap on fans who loved his films, on OTT, never in theaters
In a conversation with HT City, Kashyap begins with a familiar frustration that he seems to have given up trying to suppress.“I get angry and annoyed because people keep coming up to me and talking about how much they love this movie and that movie. I often ask them, ‘Where did you see it?’ And no one has actually seen it in theaters. I’m used to that,” he says.
When PK Makers Make Room for ‘Ugly’: ‘That Time’s Gone Now’
Kashyap recalls that there was a brief period when the industry functioned differently when the solidarity of filmmakers and the shared belief in cinema as a collective effort could transcend purely commercial profits.
Recounting the release of his 2014 film ‘Ugly’ alongside Rajkumar Hirani and Aamir Khan’s ‘PK’, Kashyap shared a story that seems far removed from today’s theatrical reality.Kashyap recalls, “Ugly was released in France before India. It was released on Blu-ray discs and then released on pirate sites, so we had to rush its release back home. At that time PK was giving many shows in cinemas. I made a call to Siddharth Roy Kapoor, Ronnie Screwvala and Raju Hirani, and we released Ugly in at least three shows, and they made sure that our film got it.”“That time is over now. I can understand that the theater business is a business. They want to make money now, and Obsession is successful. But the thing that concerns me is that Obsession can still survive on fewer shows. It will still work with five shows, and people will still see it. If not today, they will see it tomorrow,” Kashyap concludes.
“Theatre owners don’t allow word of mouth to be built”: Kashyap on the broken theatrical model
During the same conversation, Kashyap went on to discuss how Indian exhibition chains are making decisions that harm not just individual films but the long-term health of the entire industry.“Films have to get decent exposures so that people can watch them, which allows word of mouth to build up. The thing is that theater owners themselves don’t allow word of mouth to build up. Then the problem is that there is an audience who doesn’t get to see these films and they are used to seeing them on OTT. You are not building your audience – you are building an audience for event films only,” opined Kashyap.Kashyap continued: “If you are building an audience for event films only, only those films will be made.
It is expensive, and the rate of success and failure is high. For every durandar, there will be five expensive films that will bomb. While these films are not expensive and one needs to build word of mouth.”
“Bandar’s nightly shows were packed, but who would watch them at 9 a.m.?” : Kashyap in his recently released film
Kashyap expressed frustration at the inconsistency between his two films currently in theaters and the very different way poor release timing affects the audience’s psyche depending on the nature of the film.
He recounted booking a ticket for “Main Vaapas Aaunga” on Saturday, only to find only one show available early in the morning.“There was only one screening. Now it has increased to three screenings at a nearby cinema. But it was only one screening early in the morning then. We went at 9:40 am to watch the film in the cinema. Word of mouth is not allowed to build up. People are slowly abandoning it because they say: ‘Okay, it’s an inopportune time and we will see it when it comes on OTT,'” Kashyap said.The director continued, “Bender’s nightly screenings were packed. But who would go and watch it at 9 am, when it will bother you for the rest of the day! There is also human psychology involved. If I watch my own film, it will ruin the rest of my day. Vaapas Aaunga’s lead film is not like Bandar, it should have had more screenings. It is sentimental, sentimental, and has everything that is good in commercial films. I can still understand Bandar.”
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More about Bandar
Directed by Anurag Kashyap, Bender (released internationally as Monkey in a Cage) is a crime thriller and legal drama inspired by real-life events. Written by Sudip Sharma and Abhishek Banerjee, the film features a powerful performance by Bobby Deol, along with a stellar cast including Saba Azad, Sapna Babbi and Sanya Malhotra. In Kashyap’s signature style, the narrative delves into heavy contemporary topics like false accusations and the toxic nature of social media trials.
While Bandar received significant critical momentum after its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the film managed to collect Rs. 4.04 crore at the box office by the 11th day, according to Sakniklik.
