Chhaava director Laxman Utekar tells Anurag Kashyap to get lost, says nobody is forcing him to stay in Bollywood: ‘Gyaani mat bano'

Indian Express

a day ago

Director Laxman Utekar, currently basking in the success of his recent release Chhaava, got candid in a no-holds-barred interview with Mama's Couch, where he appeared to take a veiled dig at filmmaker Anurag Kashyap for his repeated criticism of mainstream Hindi cinema. Responding to a question about Anurag's infamous remarks, where he expressed frustration with the current state of Bollywood and declared that he would no longer make films in Mumbai, Utekar didn't mince his words. 'Chale jao chod kar, beshak chale jao, koi zabadasti nahi kar raha hai,' he said. 'See, ye industry aisi hai ki you have to be mentally and creatively happy, then only we can make a great… agar aapka mann nahi hai yahan rehne ka toh aap great film kaise banaoge? Aap chale jao, isse acha (Leave if you want to, nobody is forcing you to stay. You can only make movies if you are creatively happy, and there's no point in forcing yourself if you can't put your heart in it).'
Utekar went on to directly challenge Kashyap's assertion that audiences lack the sensibility to appreciate his kind of cinema. 'Woh galat bol rahe hai jab woh kehte hai ki audience ko sensibilities nahi hai unki film accept karne ki… balki unki sensibility nahi hai audience ka taste accept karne ki,' he said. 'Aaj 700-800 crore tak business kar rahi hai films… how can you say cinema is dying? Aap collection toh dekho Baahubali ka, RRR ka, Pushpa ka—1200 crore tak ka collection tha. Ya phir in fact Chhaava ka. Sensibility aapki change honi chahiye kyunki aap wahin par aatke huye ho (How can you say cinema is dying when movies are doing business of over Rs 1000 crore? You should change your sensibilities instead of telling the audience to change themselves).'
Also read – Chhaava: Vicky Kaushal's worrisome streak hits an all-time low; who'll take responsibility for inciting violence?
The filmmaker emphasised that cinema is evolving rapidly, and those working within the industry must evolve too. 'Aaj audience ke paas apne phone mein duniya bhar ka cinema hai. They are more updated than you. They know what to watch and what not to. And after every three years, cinema is changing. cinematography is changing, editing is changing, storytelling, costume… everything is changing. As a filmmaker, you have to change. You can't be stuck in the past and say the audience doesn't have sensibility. You have to change.'
In the same conversation, Utekar criticised a segment of filmmakers who, he feels, are out of touch with the realities and preferences of everyday viewers. 'Unko pata hi nahi hai logon ko kya dekhna hai… kyunki woh rehte hai aise Juhu-Bandra jaise posh areas mein. Wahan rehna bura nahi hai, main bhi chahta hoon wahan rahun. Inn logon ka holiday hota hai London, New York, Dubai mein… unko Bandra ke aage Parel, Thane, Chembur jaise areas pata hi nahi. They don't even know these areas exist. Jab aap apna desh ghume hi nahi ho… aap apne desh ko jaante hi nahi ho… aap apne brands mein busy ho… toh unko kaise pata chalega ki log kya dekhna chahte hai (These people have no idea that there is a world beyond Juhu and Bandra. They need to open their eyes and travel around the country. Instead, they are busy with their brands).'
Also Read | Chhaava director Laxman Utekar deletes dance scenes from Vicky Kaushal-starrer amid controversy: 'Raj Thackeray gave guidance'
Drawing an analogy, he added: 'Woh insaan jiske paas chamde ka belt lene ki aukaat nahi hai… aap usse Gucci ki baat karte ho? Usko kya lena dena? Woh jo chahta hai woh do na. Problem yahi hai ki unko pata nahi hai… their intention is not bad, par unmein aur audience mein bohot gap hai (You want to show a Gucci belt to somebody who can't afford a leather belt)?' To bridge this gap, Utekar offered some grounded advice: 'Bahar niklo, jao samjho ek taxi, auto waala kya chahta hai. Local station par jakar cutting chai piyo. Pata chalega jab Borivali station par train rukti hai… aur saikdon log ek wave ki tarah bahar nikalte hai… tab pata chalega.'
He didn't stop there, extending his critique to indie filmmakers who often claim their films are 'misunderstood.' 'Aise filmmakers hai jinko lagta hai ki unhe moksh mil gaya hai… unko lagta hai ki meri film logon ko samajh nahi aayegi. Toh phir banayi kyun? Kiske liye banayi? Ghar par dekho phir khud. Agar tumko lagta hai ki maine extraordinary film banayi aur audience ko samajh nahi aayi, toh kya doctor ne bola tha film banane ko? Nahi banate. End of the day, ek book likhni thi na uss kahani par. Koi criticize nahi karta. Jo book ki sale hoti, wohi aapki hoti (There are some filmmakers who think they've attained nirvana and can share their wisdom with everyone else. If you think the audience didn't understand your film, why did you make it? You shouldn't have made it. Go write a book or something. But if you've made a film, the audience comes first).'
Utekar reinforced his belief in the purpose of filmmaking: 'As a filmmaker, aapko kranti lane ke liye kisi ne nahi bola hai… duniya badalne ke liye kisi ne nahi bola… sarkar badalne ke liye kisi ne nahi bola. Wahan par hai log. Aap yahan par paise kamane ke liye aaye ho. Aap yahan par aise moksh mila hai… aise gyani mat bano. Apna kaam karo chup chap, achhi film banao. Aapka kaam hai entertain karna. Aap logon ko entertain karo… updesh mat do. Log tang aa gaye hain updesh sun kar. Unko nahi seekhna hai aur (As a filmmaker, your responsibility isn't to start a rebellion. Your job is to entertain. Don't go around distributing your pearls of wisdom).'
Laxman Utekar, best known as the director of Chhaava, has previously worked as a cinematographer on acclaimed films like English Vinglish and Dear Zindagi. Reports suggest he is now set to collaborate with Shraddha Kapoor for her next project.
In an interview with The Hindu, Anurag said earlier this year, 'I've left Mumbai. I want to stay away from film people. The industry has become too toxic. Everyone is chasing unrealistic targets, trying to make the next Rs 500 or Rs 800 crore film. The creative atmosphere is gone.' In a social media post that he shared after watching Netflix's Adolescence, he called out Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, and pointed out how the Netflix India team, which is 'backed so strongly by the boss in LA,' would never greenlight a show like Adolescence in India.'Netflix.in is a totally opposite sh**show . If they were pitched this, most probably they would have rejected it or turned it into a 90 minute film (that too seems like an impossibility because it doesn't have an ending that is black and white),' he wrote.
Anurag has said that several of his movies are stuck in the lurch at varying stages of production; his passion project, a show based on Maximum City, was cancelled by Netflix days before work was set to begin. Incidentally, both Anurag and Laxman Utekar have worked with Vicky Kaushal. Vicky worked as an assistant on Gangs of Wasseypur before collaborating with Anurag as an actor; he headlined Chhaava for Laxman Utekar, delivering his biggest-ever hit.