MUMBAI: Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has said that he plans to relocate from Mumbai and focus towards South cinema since he is disgusted and disappointed with the current state of the Hindi film industry. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Kashyap shared his growing admiration for Malayalam cinema, which he sees as a beacon of creativity and collaboration, in contrast to Bollywood’s perceived preoccupation with blockbusters and star culture.

Talking about the Malayalam film industry Kashyap said in the interview, “The Malayalam filmmakers take influences from around the world and localize them into something uniquely their own,” he noted, referencing works like Manjummel Boys. Kashyap, whose latest Malayalam-language film Rifle Club premiered to critical acclaim, highlighted his experience at the International Film Festival of Kerala, where he felt overwhelmed by the camaraderie and creative freedom among filmmakers.

Kashyap, also said that a film like Pushpa can never be made in Bollywood. "They don’t understand anything. They can’t even make a Pushpa. They cannot, because they don’t have the brains to make a film. They don’t understand what filmmaking is. Pushpa can only be made by Sukumar. In the South, they invest in filmmakers and empower them to make films. Here, everyone is trying to create a universe. Do they understand their own universe and how minuscule they are in it? That’s the ego. When you create a universe, you think you’re God," he said.

Kashyap is well known for his notable work in Hindi cinema starting as a co-writer in Ram Gopal Varma's crime drama Satya (1998) and his directorial debut with Paanch, which never had a theatrical release due to censorship issues he went on to direct Black Friday (2004), based on 1993 Bombay bombings followed by Dev.D, Gulaal, Gangs of Waaseypur, Bombay Velvette etc.

Further in the interview ace filmmaker criticized the Hindi film industry for prioritizing profits over creativity. “The joy of filmmaking is sucked out,” he lamented, revealing that five of his films remain unreleased, including Kennedy, which premiered at Cannes in 2023. Kashyap attributed these delays to studio decisions focused solely on profit margins.