More often than not, Bollywood actors are criticised for not speaking up on real life issues that matter. And why would they? Speaking up on social media comes at a cost - trolling, threats, hateful messages..
However, for filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, these risks don't matter. Kashyap is fiercely vocal, especially when it comes to his own industry - Bollywood. On his birthday, we take a look all the times he didn't shy away from supporting Bollywood.
1. When Kashyap shed light on the 'nepotism' debate
Considering how the 'insider vs. outsider/nepitism' debate has become the hot topic in recent times, it only makes sense to begin with this. On 20 July, Kashyap took to Twitter to pen a series of tweets in Hindi. Sharing his two cents on the issue, Kashyap argued that Bollywood is bigger than its actors. Apart from the actors, each film has a crew of 150 people working on set and any debate about 'nepotism' or 'favouritism' would be incomplete without including them. Word!
2. When they tried to ban Pakistani actors, Kashyap came armed with logic
Trust Kashyap to be the voice of reason in every situation! In 2016, in the aftermath of the Uri attack, people were collectively demanding a ban Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil because it starred Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. But not Kashyap. The Choked filmmaker had publically come out in support of KJo's film.
He also made some pretty logical comparisons..
3. During the 'Padmaavat' controversy, Kashyap refused to mince his words
Who can forget the Padmaavat controversy? In 2017, when the Karni Sena had taken personal offence to a film that hadn't even released then, Kashyap not only condemned the Rajasthani outfit's violent forms of protest but also asked the rest of Bollywood to speak up.
4. So what if Kashyap couldn't physically be with Deepika at JNU?
In January 2020, actor Deepika Padukone surprised the country by showing up at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to stand in solidarity with the students and faculty who had been earlier attacked by masked goons. Even though Kashyap wasn't physically there, he made sure to applaud Deepika for such a bold step. How? He changed his Twitter display to a photo of Deepika with JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh!
5. When Kashyap stood in solidarity with Rhea Chakraborty
Going by his track record, Kashyap never misses an opportunity to speak up for issues that matter. In light of actor Rhea Chakraborty's recent arrest, Kashyap once again took to Twitter to declare that he stands in "solidarity of Rhea."
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