Anurag Kashyap says he is leaving Mumbai after being 'disgusted' by Bollywood: 'I'm so disappointed and...'

Anurag Kashyap, who started his acting career in the Malayalam movie Rifle Club, where he starred with Hanumankind, said he plans to leave Mumbai in 2025.

He shared his disappointment and frustration with the film industry, saying that the joy of creating films has been lost for him. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Anurag explained that experimenting with his work has become tough because it comes with high costs. This makes it hard for producers, mainly focused on profits and margins, to take risks.

He added, "I am going to the South. I want to go where there is stimulation. Otherwise, I will die as an old man. I am so disappointed and disgusted by my own industry. I am disgusted by the mindset." 

He also mentioned that a film like Manjummel Boys would never be made in Hindi. However, if it becomes a hit in Malayalam, the Hindi film industry shows no interest in trying something new.

Anurag criticized talent agencies for focusing on sending actors to the gym rather than encouraging them to attend workshops. He described first-generation actors as a painful issue. He said, "Nobody wants to act—they all want to be stars. The agency won’t make anybody a star, but the moment someone becomes a star, the agency makes money off them. The onus of finding talent is on you—you have to take a risk and firefight with 50 people."

He further added, "And when the film is made, the agency grabs them and turns them into a star. They will brainwash them and tell them what they need to do to become a star. They won’t send them to workshops but to the gym—it’s all glam-glam because they have to be massive stars."

Anurag said that talent agencies are more focused on making money and show little interest in helping build new careers. He also shared his disappointment with actors he once considered friends.