In Cannes with three films, Kashyap thrilled but nervous

Mumbai, May 18 (IANS) He has not one, not two, but three films in Cannes and filmmaker with an edge Anurag Kashyap is thrilled that the "dedication and passion" behind works like his are finally being recognised.

"It's good to see how our work is being appreciated. Our dedication and passion are finally being recognised and we are managing to climb the ladder of success gradually," Kashyap, who has made films like "Dev D", "That Girl in Yellow Boots" and "Shaitan", told IANS before leaving for the Cannes International Film Festival that started Wednesday.

The producer-director is on cloud nine after three of his films, "Peddlers" and both parts of "Gangs of Wasseypur", were selected for screenings at the prestigious festival.

"We are quite excited to have three of our films being screened at the prestigious Cannes film fest. We had made 'Peddlers' keeping in mind the international audience, but the choice of 'Gangs of Wasseypur' is just out of the blue. Have not done any preparations but I am a little nervous about what's going to happen," he said.

While "Peddlers" is a crime thriller, "Ganges of Wasseypur" is a gritty take on the coal mafia.

Kashyap's films speak a different language - a language recognised as much by the international audience as appreciated by Indian audiences.

A supporter of independent quality cinema, Kashyap believes a better distribution network is key to making niche movies prosper in the country.

"I think our distribution system needs to be cracked. Just like multiplexes cater to Hollywood films across the world, it is important to create theatres that cater to niche movies. Then only independent and niche films would prosper," Kashyap told IANS.

The filmmaker has had a tough yet impressive career graph. His directorial debut "Black Friday" was first banned from being released in theatres and then in 2007 it got a green signal, his "Gulaal" released in 2009 after a delay of five years and the recent "Gangs of Wasseypur" was also put on hold for a year.

But his unique filmmaking style and innovative storytelling technique helped him to find a strong foothold in filmdom.

Kashyap's production venture "Udaan" was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 63rd Cannes film festival and became the first film to represent India in the Cannes official section after seven years.

Not just Kashyap's works, a lot of 'different' films are being screened in foreign film festivals and getting appreciated - be it Ashim Ahluwalia's "Miss Lovely" or Karan Gour's "Kshay".

Welcoming the trend, Kashyap said: "Foreign film festivals are a great platform. There are some very good independent filmmakers like Ashim Ahluwalia, who is a very good friend, and Karan Gour, who have cracked the global platform with their small budget indie films."

His production house, Anurag Kashyap Film Private Limited, is also known for giving a platform to debutant directors - Vikramaditya Motwane ("Udaan"), Bejoy Nambiar ("Shaitan") and Raj Kumar Gupta ("Aamir"), to name a few.

The filmmaker has two more films waiting for release - "Michael" starring Naseeruddin Shah as the protagonist and "Aiyya" with Rani Mukerji in the lead role.

(Priyanka Sharma can be contacted at priyanka.s@ians.in)

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Gangs Of Wasseypur