‘Sandeep Reddy Vanga engaged in fights, behaved obnoxiously': Varun Grover says Anurag Kashyap ‘shielded filmmaker, not film' in Instagram post

Indian Express

19 hours ago

Everyone in the film industry remembers the moment when Anurag Kashyap posted a photo with Animal director Sandeep Reddy Vanga, accompanied by a long caption defending the controversial filmmaker. The post drew widespread attention, not just for Kashyap's words, but for the reactions in the comments section. Among them were two particularly popular responses: filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan simply wrote 'Cringe,' while screenwriter-lyricist Varun Grover commented 'No.' Now, in a recent interview with The Lallantop, Grover has finally spoken about the reasoning behind his comment and what prompted such a blunt response.
'See, if anyone defends a film or a work of art, no matter how divisive or politically incorrect it is, I'll definitely understand their viewpoint, no matter how I myself don't agree with the film,' Grover explained. 'So, to defend a work of art is one thing. But to defend an artist is another thing.' He continued, 'I have always believed that I'm never against or in support of a person. I'm always either in favour of an idea or against it. I thought in that post, Mr. Kashyap was not defending the film, but the filmmaker — and defending his behaviour. There was nothing in the post about the film, but all about the filmmaker.'
Grover pointed out that Vanga's public persona has often been combative and problematic. 'He is a filmmaker who, on Twitter or social media, has engaged in fights and behaved obnoxiously. If I recall correctly, he even told Javed saab that he can't write or doesn't have a sense of writing, and he said it very arrogantly and rudely,' Grover said. 'So, I thought, if Mr. Kashyap had defended the film in any way, it would have been fine. I would've never said anything. I said 'No' because I thought: you are shielding the filmmaker, not the film.'
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Grover also shared what happened immediately after he left that comment. Within half an hour, Kashyap called him. 'The special thing about Anurag Kashyap is that he has an open heart and mind,' Grover recalled. 'He immediately talks, immediately tries to understand you. So, within half an hour, he called and said, 'Explain to me. What happened? What's the problem here?' So we talked, and he agreed, he said, 'Yeah, you're in the right.' Even later, I went to meet him and we've talked about it many times since then.' Grover emphasized that Kashyap is someone who doesn't operate within hierarchies. 'The best thing about Kashyap is that he never believed in any hierarchy. He's not like, 'Oh, how can you tell me this?' or 'I won't listen to this person.' That kind of hierarchy doesn't exist on his film sets, nor in his life.'
For those unfamiliar with the original controversy, here's what happened: On Instagram, Kashyap posted a photo with Sandeep Reddy Vanga and wrote: 'Had a great evening with @sandeepreddy.vanga. The most misunderstood, judged and reviled filmmaker at the moment. To me he is the most honest, vulnerable and a lovely person. I wanted to meet the man and I had questions, and he answered everything I asked of him about his film, that I actually saw twice. Thank you for being patient and being yourself. This is a person you can actually confront and talk to. Please talk to him about the problems you have with the film. 40 days since I first saw Animal and 22 days since I saw it the second time. The biggest game changer of Hindi cinema in the longest time, and a film whose impact, good or bad, can't be denied. And the filmmaker who takes it all on his chin. Great evening spent with him.'
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Later, while appearing on his daughter Aaliyah Kashyap's podcast Young, Dumb & Anxious, Kashyap was asked: 'What in the world was the Sandeep Reddy Vanga post?' Justifying himself, he replied, 'I met him. I like him. I like the guy. I've had questions of my own, and I wanted to talk to him about his film (Animal). I invited him and had a long, five-hour conversation, and I like the guy.'