Arthur J Pais

Anurag Kashyap, who brings his Gulaal to the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council (MIACC) film festival in New York, is arguably the most envied filmmaker in India and an inspiration for aspiring filmmakers who flock the festival looking for career advice. With an unheard of three-year, nine-film deal -- of which he will direct four while producing the rest with new directors signed with UTV -- Kashyap is positioned as one of the most watched directors in Bollywood today.

Kashyap is also working with a Princeton University professor on a movie project set in Mumbai that could have Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) as producer.

A certain degree of practicality, he says, is essential to success. "I wrote the dialogue and scripts for all kinds of films -- and I did so with earnestness -- because I wanted to do my own kind of films which were not in an easy position to get the funding," he says. "But now onwards, I am not going to write dialogue for films made by someone else, unless there is a compelling reason to do so. Writing dialogue for someone else means serving a different vision or an artistic aims other than my own."

Kashyap, 38, loves making taut and brisk films which offer social and political commentary. Dev D, his biggest hit as a director, was a refreshingly engaging retelling of the Devdas legend. Gulaal, which followed, is set in Rajasthan and revolves around a group of people who want to set up their own state, one that will fulfill their narrow, even fascistic, vision. Though it didn't enjoy the success of Dev D, Kashyap believes Gulaal is the more important film.

Anurag Kashyap, now firmly installed in the A-list of Bollywood directors, discusses his craft with Arthur J Pais.

Gulaal received good reviews but wasn't a success.

I consider Gulaal more important than Dev D. Unfortunately, it came out around the time people were not going to the movies. The film industry strike contributed to its short run. The film needed a longer nurturing period to find the audiences. It has, however, taken on a life of its own. It has been widely seen outside the theatres. Personally, the film is very important to me. It is a much bigger film than Dev D.

I began working on the film in 2001, when I was very upset over the way things were going in the country and in the film industry. I have shot parts of the film over the years, with many cast members remaining. Antara Mali, who was to play the lead, dropped out of the industry and had to be replaced. I felt there was too much of emphasis in India on caste, regionalism, and materialism than on people.