Fearless producers are making all the difference, says Anurag Kashayap

Anurag Kashyap, whose thriller Kennedy is set to premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, believes that the current upswing in independent cinema in the subcontinent is being fuelled by fearless young producers.

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“It is a new crop of producers who have made all the difference. They have made it possible for a stream of remarkable independent films to be made,” he said. Kashyap credited filmmakers such as Mira Nair, Deepa Mehta, Gurinder Chadha and Shekhar Kapur for paving the way.

“Without what they achieved, we would not even attempt what we are making,” he said. Kashyap added, “The best of Iranian cinema that we saw came out at the most difficult times. Every time I lose hope, I go and look at those films. If they can do it, why can’t we? I genuinely think the best of our creativity comes out in adversity. In Flames is so much more than a moody horror film. It talks about society, pulls out everything, and shows it bare-naked. That hits you so hard in the gut.”