Directed-produced and co-written by Anurag, 'Gangs of Wasseypur', a crime film, explores a revenge saga through the socio-political dynamic in a place called Wasseypur in Jharkhand about the coal and scrap trade mafia.
"I have not made the film to change things. I am not an NGO. I found the characters and the place interesting, hence I made the film. I don't know if anything will change or not. I doubt if anything changes through films," Anurag said.
"When such things appear in news and no action is taken despite there being evidence, what can my film do? It does not happen at those levels. Till the time elections come, nothing will happen," he chuckled.
"But in a way I think it is the right time to release the film as people are aware of what is happening. At least they would like to know what the film is about. The film is relevant in that sense," he added.
Anurag has spent one-and-half-year on research, to get the facts before making 'Gangs of Wasseypur'.
"We spent one-and-half-year on research. There even kids on the streets know what is happening. People are quite afraid to go there, but if you do and research you can get material. Local papers report about it. Today, most of the mafia is making inroads into building material, scrap and all that," Anurag said.
"I have stuck to the political and social scenario of Wasseypur. We have stuck to reality. In terms of story, we have fictionalised it, but the incidents and all that you see is 90 per cent true," he said.
"There are parts that are not true in the story, like the stepson in the film. In reality he is not the stepson. Some characters who have died in the film are actually alive. So 90 per cent characters, incidents do exist. We had to fictionalise and camouflage things, which we had to do, so that it does not affect anybody living or dead directly," he added. (More)