Anurag Kashyap on rising production costs: When we make a film, we are working; it’s not a picnic

Anurag Kashyap opened up recently on the rising costs of making a film in the Hindi film industry. He said that streaming platforms have brought in certain changes in the budgeting due to which stars are demanding more money.

In an interview with YouTube channel Humans of Cinema, he said, “I had never seen so many vanity vans on my set like I saw on Sacred Games. That's how the culture got started. Then you can't reverse that. Finally, those people started getting paid who were totally ignored, which is the technical crew. It's fair, in a way. But a lot of extra things started coming in."

He further reflected on the failure of big-budget films at the box-office and added, “Because they aren’t spending on just the film. One thing people need to understand is that when we make a film, we are working, we are creating something. It’s not a holiday, it’s not a picnic.”

He added, “A lot of money that is spent doesn’t go into making the film. It goes into the paraphernalia, it goes into the entourage. You are shooting in the middle of a jungle, but one car will be sent to the city three hours away specifically to get you that five-star burger you want.”

On the work front, Anurag will be seen next playing an antagonist in the crime-thriller web-series, Bad Cop, also starring Gulshan Devaiah. Anurag’s last theatrical release as a director was Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat, which came out in 2023. His latest directorial, Kennedy had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023. Kennedy stars Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone in pivotal roles. As per reports, his upcoming film is a thriller starring Bobby Deol, Sanya Malhotra, Joju George and Saba Azad, among others.