Aug 10, 2012 at 8:00 PM
Piracy made me popular: Anurag Kashyap
We finally have someone who understands.While chatting about his experiences in Kanpur, where he's spent some part of his life while he was studying for the IIT entrance test, the topic veers to the menace of piracy in Indian cinema. But surprisingly, Anurag is one of the few filmmakers who feel that piracy is justified. "Main aaj jo kuch hoon, piracy ki wajah se hi hoon. It was through pirated versions of my movies that people got to see my work," he says and goes on to elaborate, "I feel that cinema is something that should reach the maximum number of people. If the audience does not get to see affordable cinema, it will turn to cheaper, pirated entertainment."
Anurag adds, "If we want to see a successful Hollywood today, often we have to take the help of piracy because it's not necessary that that film is legally available in your city. That's why filmmakers need to understand that their work should reach more and more people, because today cinema is not all about entertainment. In fact, I feel that we filmmakers should use cinema as a tool to make a strong impact on society. And if people are watching such meaningful cinema through piracy, I believe it only helps to deliver the filmmaker's message to the masses."
The filmmaker with UP antecedents reiterates he's planning a film based on Kanpur. "Yes, there is a three-month-old incident on which I am planning my movie. At the moment I can't speak more on the topic," he says. But will the movie be shot in Kanpur? "For sure! Par hum log bahut chup chaap kaam karte hai, kyuki openly karne mein bahut log questions karne lagte hain aur kaam karna mushkil ho jata hai. Hum log Kanpur aayenge aur kaam karke chale jayenge aur kisi ko pata bhi nahi chalega," he replies.
