Renowned for his raw and stark storytelling, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has always been a vocal admirer of Shah Rukh Khan. Despite his desire to collaborate with the Bollywood superstar, Kashyap has candidly expressed his apprehensions about making a film with him.
Currently directing a new thriller while his previous project is making rounds on the festival circuit, Kashyap recently shared his thoughts in a detailed interview with Humans of Cinema.
He delved into his fears about working with Khan, citing the overwhelming influence of fanbases and the pressures of social media. Kashyap's reflections highlight the complexities of filmmaking in today's industry, especially when it comes to working with iconic figures like Shah Rukh Khan.
Talking to Humans of Cinema, Kashyap said he admires Shah Rukh Khan and his body of work but has not been able to collaborate with him. He mentioned that there was a time when Khan would work with everyone, but making a movie with him today has become almost impossible. “In this day and age of social media, I am terrified by the fanbases big stars have. Actors get typecast because of fans, and the fans want the same things from them again and again. If that doesn’t happen, fans reject it, so even actors get apprehensive about trying new things,” he explained.
Kashyap further elaborated that he wouldn’t just cater to the fans if he got Shah Rukh Khan on board but would make a movie that he truly wanted. This scares him because the repercussions or consequences of making such a movie would cost him a lot. “So it’s not in my capacity to cater to SRK’s aura or enigma. If his film Fan had worked, I could have said that I too dare to work with him,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Anurag Kashyap is working on a thriller with a very illustrious ensemble cast, including Bobby Deol, Sanya Malhotra, Saba Azad, Joju George, Sapna Pabbi, Jeetendra Joshi, Ankush Gedambe, Nagesh Bhonsle, Jamini Pathak, Ghamshyam Garg, and Riddhi Sen.