After the success of Dev D and Gulaal last year, director Anurag Kashyap is back in the news. This time, as a producer. The critically acclaimed Udaan, which releases on July 16, India’s only official entry at Cannes this year, is his friend Vikramaditya Motwane’s directorial debut and Kashyap’s first independent movie as a producer. Shelly Walia talks to Kashyap about his debut as a producer and his experience at Cannes
What got you interested in the script by Vikramaditya Motwane?
I completely identified with the story and that’s what got me interested in Udaan.
Udaan is your first independent film as a producer. How do you feel?
Yes, it is my first independent film as a producer and I could only do it because of Sanjay Singh, my partner. It was a tough process but gave me a liberating feeling.
What gave you the confidence in Motwane considering this is his first directorial venture?
Vikram has taught me a lot over the years. He taught me about the camera and sound design, and was the director of songs for my first film 10 years ago. It’s unfortunate that it took so long for him to make a film. Maybe his confidence and clarity of thought always was misjudged as arrogance.
The movie also casts new actors. What was the overall experience like?
It was a great experience but I think Vikram is the right person to talk about the cast as casting choices were all his.
You have also written the dialogue for the movie.
My best always comes out for Vikram when I am writing for him. Udaan is one of the five films we have worked together on out of which three remain unproduced and another is in the pipeline with him as a director.
This was the only official Indian entry at Cannes. What response did it get?
The audience response was overwhelming and caught us by surprise. The audience surrounded Vikram and kept applauding for him for 10 minutes after the movie was screened.
What is the ‘Uncertain Regard’ category all about? This is the first Indian film to feature in this category in almost 16 years.
It means a certain regard, a unique point of view that a filmmaker brings with him to his film.
Did anything funny or unexpected happen there?
Nothing funny happened, but unexpected, yes. We expected to win something but we didn’t.
What are your forthcoming ventures, as a director and as a producer?
I am going to make a gangster movie set in Bihar, and I have already finished That Girl in Yellow Boots, starring Kalki Koechlin and Naseeruddin Shah, which will release by the end of this year. As producer, I have my plate full with Sachin Kundalkar’s debut Hindi film, Rahi Anil Barve’s Tumbaad, and there is Vikram’s next one.
