Back in the 2000s, when we were having our fair share of Bollywood’s larger-than-life, dramatic stories with happy endings, an Indian filmmaker flipped the scene like never before. It was Anurag Kashyap who brought grit, chaos, thrill and truth to the big screen. With films like Dev.D, Udaan, Gangs of Wasseypur and Gulaal, he dared to change Bollywood’s formula of a successful movie. Since then, he has never been one to play it safe. However, his filmmaking journey hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride. His debut film, Paanch (2003), faced censor board issues and has never been officially released in India. However, when his second movie, Black Friday (2004), faced the same criticism, Anurag Kashyap devised a crazy hack to make people watch his films. But why did the movie get banned?

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Anurag Kashyap on Black Friday ban

The movie Black Friday depicted a series of investigations in the serial bomb blasts in Bombay in 1993. It highlights personal anecdotes of everyone involved in the case – police, perpetrators, innocent victims and middlemen. The film was set to release in 2004, but the censor board banned it due to its controversial stance. Anurag got the news when he reached the venue for its grand premiere at Eros. Even though Black Friday was released much later on April 5, 2007, Anurag Kashyap didn’t let his efforts go to waste.

In an interview at the 20th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival, Anurag Kashyap revealed what one of the biggest Indian film critics said after seeing Black Friday. Quoting the critic, Anurag said, “This is a tourism film of India using the terrorists.” This remark hurt Anurag to the point that he decided to travel the world and attend various film festivals. And here’s what he said he did.

“I bought 200 copies of my own pirated DVDs”

Anurag Kashyap revealed, “I had a friend who was a history professor at Princeton University. I took a print of the film.” It was because he feared the time when the Indian government burnt the print of the 1978 film, Kissa Kursi Ka, owing to its political aspects. So, he took the whole box of prints and placed it in Princeton to save his movie that was banned a day before the release. However, some prints had left for the theatres. Furthermore, some cinema owners illegally sold them to the pirates. Surprisingly, this created a sensation in the piracy scene, boosting the sales of the film’s pirated DVDs.

He further shared, “I bought 200 copies of my own pirated DVDs. And I took that and I went to the US… I went to Kim’s Video, and in Los Angeles, I went to Amoeba Music, the specialty stores. I gave them my pirated DVDs and I asked them to give them away… Leave it somewhere, let them take it for free.” Anurag Kashyap continued this, and to his surprise, the DVDs of Black Friday reached two influential people who changed his career. Who were they?

How Anurag Kashyap became successful in India

“One person was Danny Boyle, and one person was the Chief Justice of India. When Danny Boyle saw success with Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and my film was unreleased in India, he cited my film as an influence in every single interview of his. And because of it, some important people in India saw the film. And the CJI saw the film,” he said. Convinced by Anurag’s craft, the CJI allowed the movie’s release.

However, those seven years were difficult for Anurag Kashyap. He started drinking alcohol excessively, which ultimately took a toll on his health. He became vulnerable and tried everything in his power to fight this battle. People even suggested Vastu-related solutions, and he helplessly followed them. They told him he was facing bad luck. “Three banned films, four shelved films, people refused to allow me close to them,” Anurag Kashyap revealed.

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