Anurag Kashyap’s controversial statements on Bollywood: From ‘brainless’ films to slamming AI filmmaking

Calling Bollywood “brainless” - Anurag Kashyap said Bollywood lacks brains, trading depth for formula, critics argue it's disconnected from authentic grassroots storytelling.

Alleging Bollywood favors profit, not creativity - Kashyap announced he’d quit Bollywood, calling its obsession with profit over originality a creative death sentence, and hinted at moving to South India for more freedom.

Support for "morality is subjective" - In response to the criticism of Animal and its toxic-men issues, he flipped it: “80% of Indian men are like Kabir Singh…Morality is subjective. Let filmmakers represent what they want.”

Battling the “Bollywood mafia” narrative - When Kangana Ranaut accused him of being part of the “Bollywood mafia,” he fired back—claiming he made Queen when Kangana had no offers, deflating that narrative.

Denying nepotism-laden drinking allegations - Responding to Vivek Agnihotri’s claims that his drinking disrupted Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal, Kashyap slapped back: he wasn’t even on set and the claim was false.

Slamming AI filmmaking - Most recently, he minced no words criticizing AI-directed films. Reacting strongly to an AI-made Chiranjeevi film, he said it should be ashamed and that automation is killing creativity and stealing artists’ livelihoods.

He slammed the CBFC’s language sensibilities during the Satya certification - Kashyap once brought a Hindi dictionary to the Central Board of Film Certification screening for Satya to defend the inclusion of the word "chu**a," which the board had flagged. He insisted the term simply meant "murkh" or "stupid," criticizing the board for its lack of nuance in understanding Hindi

Bollywood’s entourage culture is a budget drain - He called out how big Bollywood productions bleed money on star entourages, which cut into the actual film budget. His criticism drew a response from actor Amit Sial, who suggested Kashyap either adapt to the system or cast actors who resonate with his raw, grounded style