Director Anurag Kashyap opens up on depression, Bollywood isolation and moving South

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has revealed why he decided to move out of Mumbai, admitting that the way the Hindi film industry functioned left him deeply unhappy. In a recent interview with Sudhir Srinivasan on YouTube, the director said the isolation he faced pushed him into depression.

“I went into a depression. I’ve come out of it now and I’m enjoying myself. One thing I did was stop watching Hindi films. Instead, I began watching works from first-time directors and a lot of Malayalam cinema,” Kashyap said.

Kashyap shared that many in Bollywood distanced themselves, fearing that being linked with him would damage their chances of working with studios.

“People thought I was bad news, that I had no filter and spoke too openly. They felt associating with me could cost them projects. That was the atmosphere in Mumbai,” he said.

The filmmaker added that while in the city he constantly heard negative chatter about his personal struggles. “People were talking about my alcoholism, my depression, saying I was losing my way. Everyone wanted to tell me how to ‘save’ myself,” he recalled.

Kashyap said he felt far more welcome in the South, where filmmakers showed him genuine warmth and respect. That support made him question his choice to remain in Mumbai.

After moving away, he noticed his life naturally improving. “I didn’t have to deal with people. Automatically, I began exercising. Automatically, I started writing again,” he said.

In recent years, Kashyap has acted in several South Indian films, including the Tamil titles Maharaja and Viduthalai Part 2, and the Malayalam film Rifle Club.

He is now gearing up for the release of his next directorial, Nishaanchi, which introduces Aaishvary Thackeray in a double role. The film also stars Vedika Pinto, Monika Panwar, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Kumud Mishra. Nishaanchi is set to hit cinemas on September 19.