Anurag Kashyap on 'Propaganda' films and importance of dialogue

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, known for his anti-establishment stance, recently shared his views on the rise of 'propaganda' films. In a conversation with OTT Play, Kashyap was asked about films like 'The Kashmir Files' and 'The Kerala Story', which have been criticised for presenting a one-sided narrative.

Kashyap, who has been a strong anti-establishment voice, believes that the need of the hour is to engage with those who may not be of the same ideology and hopefully make them more “receptive” to see one’s point of view.

The filmmaker was asked about the rise in propaganda films like The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story, which many have termed as a one-sided biased cinematic retelling of events.

“I don’t believe in any kind of censorship. We speak from a position of awareness and education,” Kashyap said. The filmmaker added that when he says that he is a feminist, he has had the privilege of people teaching him what feminism meant and why one should be.

“If some other people haven’t learnt that, you cannot say that they don’t have the right to exist or the right to speak. I think it is very important to engage in dialogues. I can be receptive when someone is engaging in a dialogue with me. I came from the same patriarchal, misogynistic world of UP. Education made me more receptive. So somebody took the step to engage in a dialogue with me to make me understand.

“Likewise, when you disagree with a film, get into a dialogue with them, like Sudhir Mishra did. He engaged in a dialogue with Vivek Agnihotri. This is what is the need of the hour. I am saying it is very easy to judge, dismiss, and cancel people. Cancelling people is more problematic than making these films.”

Filmmakers Sudhir Mishra and Vivek Agnihotri, who represent opposing political ideologies, taped a podcast earlier this year in which they discussed their work, the status of the nation, and the reason why individuals on opposing sides of the political spectrum can't engage in polite conversation.