After years of toiling behind the scenes in Bollywood, 2009 saw Anurag Kashyap finally win some recognition with his hit Devdas remake Dev.D. Eight months later, the Hollywood press has begun to take notice of the experimental director due to some very well-received screenings of Dev.D, including one at the prestigious 66th Venice Film Festival, where Anurag has been invited as a judge!
When Dev.D released back in February it was both a critical and a box office hit in India but garnered no attention from the rest of the world film community. Now, with film festival appearances to spread the word, not only was Anurag singled out for praise in the Hollywood industry paper Variety, but The Hollywood Reporter called Dev.D “[a] daring twist to an oft-beaten classic story” adding that, “[a] new twist in the end lifts the age-old tale of tragic defeatism to a refreshing new high.”
After Venice, the Dev.D director will be making an appearance at the London Film Festival in October alongside other talented and off-beat directors like Todd Solondz and Wes Anderson.
And what will does this unpredictable director have in store for us next? An experimental film about smoking and homosexuality? A gothic tale of politics? Another remake of a classic filmi tale?
If Hollywood is discovering Anurag Kashyap, then he is returning the favor by putting his unique twist on the time honored Hollywood blockbuster genre of the super hero film! His Doga, starring Kunal Kapoor, seems set to be yet another game-changing film and anticipation is running high to see if Doga will give Iron Man a run for his money.
