Anurag Kashyap is a famous Indian film-maker. He is a recipient of several National and Filmfare awards. Starting his career as a co-writer in Ram Gopal Verma’s crime drama, Satya (1998), Kashyap achieved his breakthrough from Dev.D (2009). Due to his contribution to films and cinema, the government of France awarded him the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and letters) in 2013.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Anurag Kashyap was born on 10 September 1972 (age: 52 years old, as of 2024) in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. His father, Prakash Singh was a Chief Engineer of Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited. Kashyap received his primary education from Green School, Dehradun. When she was 8 years old, he was admitted to Scindia School in Gwalior.
Childhood photo of Anurag Kashyap
He wanted to become a scientist. To pursue his dream of becoming a scientist, he enrolled at Hans Raj College in the University of Delhi. He completed his graduation in 1993 with a degree in Zoology. After graduation, he did many street plays. In 1993, he arrived in Mumbai with Rs. 5000 in the pocket. When the whole money spent, he passed several days on the streets and slept on beaches. Sometimes, he stayed at St. Xavier’s boys’ hostel. Somehow, he managed to find works at Prithvi Theatre but his first play remained incomplete due to the death of the director.
Physical Appearance
- Height (approx.): 5′ 11″
- Eye Colour: Black
- Hair Colour: Black
Family
Anurag Kashyap was born to Prakash Singh.
Anurag Kashyap with his father
He has one brother, Abhinav Kashyap who is also a film director and screenwriter.
Anurag Kashyap with his brother
Anubhuti Kashyap is his sister who also assists in most of his films.
Sister of Anurag Kashyap
He married Aarti Bajaj in 2003, she was his friend from early times. She is a film-editor and works in his films.
Anurag Kashyap with his ex-wife, Aarti Bajaj
The couple has a daughter, Aaliya Kashyap. The couple divorced in 2009.
Anurag Kashyap with his daughter
After being divorced from his first wife, Anurag married actress, Kalki Koechlin in 2011. But, soon they got divorced in 2015.
Anurag Kashyap and Kalki Koechlin
He has an affair with Shubhra Shetty who works in media production.
Anurag Kashyap with his girlfriend
Career
In 1995, he met a person named Pankaj Titoria by chance. Pankaj Titoria introduced him to film director and editor, Shivam Nair. At Shivam Nair’s home, Kashyap watched ‘Taxi Driver’ and got enchanted with the film. In 1997, he wrote the screenplay of the first film of Hansal Mehta’s first film, ‘Jayate’ which could not be released in the theater. In 1998, actor, Manoj Bajpayee suggested his name to the director, Ram Gopal Verma to write a film.
Anurag Kashyap and Manoj Bajpayee
Ram Gopal Verma hired him after being impressed by his work of ‘Auto Narayan.’ At that time, he wrote the script of ‘Satya’ along with Saurabh Shukla. Satya was a successful film and it is regarded as one of the best films in the Indian Cinema. In 1999, he also wrote the script of ‘Kaun’ and wrote the dialogues for ‘Shool.’ The same year, he made a short film, ‘Last Train to Mahakali’ for Television.
Kashyap made his directorial debut in 2002 from the film, ‘Paanch.’ The film was related to Joshi-Abhyankar serial murders that took place in 1976. Initially, the film faced trouble with the Central Board of Film Certification. Meanwhile, Kashyap wrote the dialogues for many films such as Paisa Vasool (2004), Yuva (2004), a Canadian film, Water (2005), Main Aisa Hi Hoon (2005), etc. However, later, the film, ‘Paanch’ was cleared by the board and was released in 2002 in many film festivals. In 2007, he worked on film ‘Black Friday’ which was based on Hussain Zaidi’s book with the same name and was related to the 1993 Bombay Bombings. However, the Bombay High Court put a stay on its release until the judgment in the bomb blast case was made. The same year, he made a remake of Stephen King’s short story “Quitters” as ‘No Smoking.’ In 2009, he founded his own production company, Anurag Kashyap Films. He made his debut in production from a critical hit, ‘Udaan.’ Kashyap has also produced many films including Shaitan (2011), Chittagong (2012), Aiyyaa (2012), etc. In 2011, he directed and co-wrote ‘That Girl in Yellow Boots’ with Kalki Koechlin. The film was screened at many international film festivals. A famous American film critic, Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4. In 2012, Kashyap’s film Gangs of Wasseypur did the rounds and screened at 2012 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, London Indian Film Festival, and Toronto Film Festival.
In 2016, Kashyap directed Raman Raghav 2.0 starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui which met with a positive response. In 2018, he worked on ‘Lust Stories’ collaborating with fellow directors, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee, and Karan Johar. On 15 June 2018, the film was released on Netflix.
Anurag Kashyap has also been a good actor and made his cameo appearances in many films including Black Friday (2007), Tera Kya Hoga Johnny, Dev.D, Gulaal, Bhoothnath Returns, Happy New Year, etc. In 2010, he played the role of a Police Officer in the film ‘Encounter.’ In 2011, he became a villain in Tigmanshu Dhulia’s film ‘Shagird.’ In 2016, he played the role of a corrupt police officer in AR Murugadoss’s ‘Akira.’ In 2018, he also acted in a Tamil film Imaikkaa Nodigal.
Controversies
- In 2000, his directorial debut film, ‘Paanch’ fell into controversies for the violent portrayal of youths.
- He is often criticized by media for promoting sex, drugs, abuses in his films.
- He produced the 2016 film ‘Udta Punjab’ along with other producers. The film was criticized by the Censor Board for portraying Punjab in smoking and drugs.
- On 19 September 2020, Bollywood actress Payal Ghosh took to Twitter to accuse Anurag Kashyap of sexual assault in the series of #MeToo campaign. In her tweet, she requested the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to take action in the matter. She also named a few Bollywood actresses like Huma Qureshi and Richa Chadda and said they had also been the victim of sexual assault by Kashyap.
@anuragkashyap72 has forced himself on me and extremely badly. @PMOIndia @narendramodi ji, kindly take action and let the country see the demon behind this creative guy. I am aware that it can harm me and my security is at risk. Pls help! https://t.co/1q6BYsZpyx
— Paayel Ghosh 🕉️ (@iampayalghosh) September 19, 2020
After Payal Ghosh’s tweet, the chairperson of the National Commission for Women in India, Rekha Sharma, asked her to give details about the incident through her Twitter account.
Thank you will do that 🙏🏼 https://t.co/xQVgzIh0cU
— Paayel Ghosh 🕉️ (@iampayalghosh) September 19, 2020
Bolywwod actress Kangana Ranaut also took to Twitter to support Payal Ghosh.
Bullywood is full of sexual predators who have fake and dummy marriages they expect a new hot young girl to make them happy everyday, they do the same to young vulnerable men also,I have settled my scores my way I don’t need #MeToo but most girls do #PayalGhosh #AnuragKashyap
— Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 20, 2020
Anurag Kashyap refuted these claims through a series of tweets.
क्या बात है , इतना समय ले लिया मुझे चुप करवाने की कोशिश में । चलो कोई नहीं ।मुझे चुप कराते कराते इतना झूठ बोल गए की औरत होते हुए दूसरी औरतों को भी संग घसीट लिया। थोड़ी तो मर्यादा रखिए मैडम। बस यही कहूँगा की जो भी आरोप हैं आपके सब बेबुनियाद हैं ।१/४
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) September 19, 2020
On 21 September 2020, he released his lawyer’s statement and resolved to pursue the matter legally.
And here is the statement from my lawyer @PriyankaKhimani .. on my behalf .. thank You pic.twitter.com/0eXwNnK5ZI
— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) September 20, 2020
On 23 September, Payal Ghosh lodged an FIR against Anurag at the Versova police station in Mumbai. In the FIR, she accused Mr. Kashyap of raping her at a place on Yari Road in Versova in 2013. [1]NDTV In August 2023, she discussed the matter and expressed that she was confronting Kashyap’s influence in the industry on her own, noting that few are willing to speak out against him. She said,
I am not the richest or the most powerful and so I don’t even expect others to come out and support me against him. I am fighting the battle alone and I know that’s how it is going to be in future as well. Nobody will take a stand for me and go against him. Everyone values their relations with him because he is a film director.” [2]The Free Press Journal
- In March 2021, the Income Tax department found the discrepancy and manipulation in income worth Rs. 650 crore after raids on Anurag Kashyap, Taapsee Pannu, and Vikas Bahl. The raids were part of a tax evasion probe against Phantom Films, which were carried out across 30 locations in Mumbai and Pune on 3 March 2021. According to the I-T dept. officials, the production house staff was not able to explain the discrepancy of around Rs. 300 crore; moreover, manipulation and under-valuation of share transactions of Phantom Films amongst the film directors and shareholders, having tax implication of about Rs. 350 crores, were also quoted by the officials, and the evidence of cash receipts by the leading actress amounting to Rs. 5 crores was also recovered. Opposition parties slammed the raids and termed these raids as the Modi government’s vengeance against those who spoke against the government and supported the ongoing farmers’ protest. [3]Hindustan Times
- Multiple FIRs were registered against him in Jaipur in April 2025 after he made a controversial remark about the Brahmins living in India. In his remark, Kashyap said that he would “urinate” on the people belonging to the community. Following the backlash, Anurag issued a formal apology; however, he stressed that his comment was taken out of context and misappropriated.
Awards/Honours
- Screen Award for Best Screenplay with Saurabh Shukla for Satya (1999)
- Special Jury Award for Last Train to Mahakali (2000)
- Grand Jury Prize for Black Friday (2007)
- Best Story and Best Screenplay Award along with Vikramaditya Motwane (2011)
- Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the government of France (2013)
- Yash Bharti Award by the Government of Uttar Pradesh (2016)
Favourite Things
- Food(s): Cheese, Cereals, Fish, Chocolate, Nespresso
- Film(s): Bicycle Thieves, Pyasa, Bandit Queen, Sahib Biwi Aur Gulam
- Actor(s): Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Naseeruddin Shah
- Actresses: Marilyn Monroe, Golshifteh Farahani, Scarlett Johansson
Net Worth
As in 2018, his net worth is around $110 million.
Facts
- He likes to smoke and drink.
Anurag Kashyap smokes
Anurag Kashyap drinks alcohol
- After completing his graduation in 1993, he joined a street theatre group “Jana Natya Manch.” The same year, he attended the International Film Festival and watched 55 films in 10 days. Vittorio De Sica’s ‘Bicycle Thieves’ influenced him most.
- He is regarded as an auteur and credited for pioneering India’s Indie scenes in the early 2000s.
- Filmmaker, Zoya Akhtar has written about him, “He has a very strong storytelling style and he proved that you could tell a great story with not a lot of money.”
Anurag Kashyap with Zoya Akhtar, Karan Johar, and Dibakar Banerjee
- A Canadian critic, Cameron Bailey has called Kashyap “one of the most knowledgeable filmmakers.”
- The British director, Danny Boyle has praised Kashyap’s work in direction and copied the filmmaking style of Kashyap in some of the scenes in Oscar Winning movie, Slumdog Millionaire.
- He does not believe in religion. According to him, “I am an Athiest. Cinema is the only religion i believe in.”
- Kashyap is a member of the board of the NGO, Aangan, which helps protect vulnerable children around India.
- His hobbies are writing, swimming, listening to music, etc.
- Anurag Kashyap once, in an interview, talked about the making of the series ‘Maximum City,’ an adaptation of writer Suketu Mehta’s book of the same name. He revealed that when Netflix decided to shelve his project, the stress took a toll on him which led him to find solace in alcohol and experience depression. He, moreover, mentioned that suffered two heart attacks at that time. [4]The Indian Express
- On 23 March 2024, he took to Instagram to announce his fee for meeting new people (aspiring actors/filmmakers). In the post, he mentioned that he would charge Rs. 1 lakh for 10-15 minutes, Rs. 2 lakh for half an hour, and Rs. 5 lakh for 1 hour to meet them.
Anurag Kashyap’s Instagram post about charging money for meeting new people
References
| ↑1 | NDTV |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | The Free Press Journal |
| ↑3 | Hindustan Times |
| ↑4 | The Indian Express |
Anurag sir very best work