HT Exclusive | Anurag Kashyap says only devotional or patriotic films are being greenlit in Bollywood, making films is difficult today
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
Many are calling 2026 the year of patriotic and devotional films in Hindi cinema. With the success of movies like Dhurandhar and Hanuman Ansh, there is a wave of patriotic and devotional titles being revealed. Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap believes that the two genres now have hegemony in Bollywood, with other diverse genres struggling to even surface. In a chat with Hindustan Times, the filmmaker opens up on why making diverse films is challenging these days.
Adding to this, Anurag Kashyap opens up on the state of Indian cinema. Anurag Kashyap on devotional and patriotic films Anurag is backing the independently made children’s movie Little Thomas , starring Gulshan Devaiah and Rasika Dugal, and directed by Kaushal Oza. Talking about his role as an executive producer, Anurag says, “I see myself more as an enabler.”
Meanwhile, The filmmaker elaborates, “It is just about faith and upping somebody’s morale. I see myself as someone who keeps morale high and helps them complete and rollout a movie. I don’t think anybody knows what to make today. Movie banana hi difficult hai (It is difficult to make films). Whether it’s a children’s movie or an adult movie, making your own movie is difficult today.”
Notably, Anurag says the wave of patriotic and devotional films being revealed shows that Hindi cinema is now following that trend. He explains, “I was talking to a producer the other day, and they shared, ‘We don’t know what to do’. You can make either a patriotic or a devotional movie. Otherwise, nothing else is getting greenlit. That is a fact and a tragedy.”
As per the latest buzz, Three of the four biggest hits from Bollywood this year fit in this bracket - Dhurandhar 2, Hanuman Ansh, and Border 2. Several more have since been revealed. But Anurag feels that this also creates an environment ripe for slice-of-life films like Little Thomas. “Hopefully, this movie will sneak in, because this is not like any other movie out there,” he says.
In further updates, The filmmaker also feels that merely because some films have children as protagonists does not make them kids’ films. “For instance, what will you call this recent Telugu movie called Don’t Trouble The Trouble, which stars Fahadh Faasil and is backed by SS Rajamouli. It has Fahadh, so would you call it a children’s movie?” he argues. Conversely, he shares an argument from the other end of the spectrum. “When we go to festivals, we see so many coming-of-age films. The biggest, most talked-about series in the last two years was Adolescence. But they are for adults,” says Anurag.
On top of that, Written and directed by Kaushal Oza, Little Thomas features an ensemble cast led by Gulshan Devaiah and Rasika Dugal and also features child artiste Hridansh Parekh in the titular role. The movie is produced by Anurag Kashyap, alongside Anushka Shah, Charu Oza, Rajnikant Oza, Akshay Thakker, Kabir Ahuja, and Ranjan Singh. It is slated for a theatrical rollout on October 23.
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Movie Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world. Read More
Source: Hindustan Times