I'm busier than SRK: Anurag Kashyap blasts critics, claiming to be booked till 2028 after Bollywood exit

Weeks after his departure from “toxic” and “stifling” filmmaking conditions in Mumbai (effectively the headquarters of Bollywood) to move to Bengaluru, Anurag Kashyap transitioned to directing and producing films from South India. He recently asserted on X that he was still very much a filmmaker, with dates booked for the next three years.

"I have relocated cities. I have not left filmmaking. For all the people who think I am frustrated and gone. I am here and I am busier than Shah Rukh Khan ... I don't have dates until 2028. I have five directorial hopefully coming out this year or may be three now and two early next year. I have the longest IMDB and I am so employed that I say no to 3 projects a day,” he claimed, in response to those that criticised his exit from Bollywood.

In an interview with The Hindu last month, the legendary director explained that Mumbai now lacked opportunities for creative fulfillment, with filmmakers playing it safe and creating narratives based on algorithms, rather than valuable stories worth being told.

"The industry has become too toxic. Everyone is chasing unrealistic targets, trying to make the next Rs. 500 or Rs. 800 crore film. The creative atmosphere is gone."

A good example of his point was Netflix's cancellation of 'Sacred Games', the streaming platform's first Indian original, that he co-directed with Vikramaditya Motwane. Despite boasting a stellar cast and a wonderfully-crafted script, the crime drama series was cancelled after a second season.

Kashyap explained in an interview that a third season had been in the cards, but ultimately did not work out, primarily because Netflix had been worried about possible backlash, as in the case of the Tandav (2021), which became instantly controversial post-release, for its alleged attack on Hindu sentiments.  

He also keeps himself in the public eye, often joining the discourse and advocating for  good cinema. The actor-director had recently praised Netflix's global hit limited series 'Adolescence' for its brilliance, lamenting at how such a show would have been impossible to make in an Indian context. He also spoke out against CBFC's decision to censor quite a few scenes in the Pratik Gandhi-starrer 'Phule', Ananth Mahadevan's biographical drama on Jyotirao Phule, an anti-caste social reformer.

Kashyap happens to be a versatile actor, having starred in films such as 'AK vs AK', 'Rifle Club' and 'Maharaja'. He is now set to appear in 'Dacoit: A Love Story', a romantic action thriller in Telugu and Hindi, and also has five more films (that he directed), all of which are set to release in 2025 and 2026.

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