From cameos to compelling characters: Meet Anurag Kashyap the actor

Though driven by money, Anurag gradually shedded his initial stiffness in his acting journey. Vikramaditya Motwane’s dark comedy thriller, AK vs AK, served as a testament to this transformation. Whether it’s his rebellious personality or the dark themes of his films, it’s noteworthy that Anurag has rarely been cast in the role of a “good guy” on screen. He reflected on this in an interview with Silverscreen India, saying, “Somehow, every time I’ve acted, it’s been in a negative role. People tend to think my movies are me. The perception is that I’m very dark, because I make those kinds of movies.”

In line with Anurag’s sentiment, he had the opportunity to fully showcase his acting skills in Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Shagird (2011), where he portrayed the rowdy gangster Bunty Bhaiya. Anurag’s Bunty Bhaiya appears to have inspired the gritty gangsters and politicians of Prime Video’s popular web series, Mirzapur. He dons kurtas, has a foul mouth, exudes swag, treats law enforcement as his puppets, and is a seasoned hitman—much like the entire Mirzapur cast. At the time of Shagird’s release, Anurag had already established himself as a writer-director, making the film an opportunity for him to revisit his theatre days and embrace the role of the cocky Bunty Bhaiya. In numerous interviews, Anurag has expressed his desire to direct Nana Patekar. While this wish remains unfulfilled, his portrayal in Shagird matched Nana’s grittiness and made him an excellent co-star to the legendary actor.

Before Anurag did AK vs AK, where he played the fictionalised version of himself, he did a memorable cameo appearance in Zoya Akhtar’s directorial debut Luck By Chance (2009) which also mirrored his real-life personality. In the film, Anurag was seen in the role of a dissatisfied writer who is attempting to bring a fresh, nuanced perspective to a Hindi film copied from a Hollywood flick. However, when he narrated his take on the film’s ending —unconventional compared to the usual ‘sab changa si’ endings— his producer (played by Rishi Kapoor), shuts him down and says, “Oye institute, mein yeh film film festival ke liye nahi bana raha hu (I am not making this film for the film festival). It is worth noting that Anurag’s latest film, Kennedy, got a  seven-minute standing ovation at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. Too real perhaps!

Maintaining his negative role streak, Anurag played the nasty ACP Govind Rane in Sonakshi Sinha-starrer Akira (2016). Casual murders are ingrained in Anurag Kashyap’s characters, but in Akira, he became one of those characters — a corrupt, ruthless cop, who didn’t flinch at cold-blooded murder if it meant more money in his pocket. Though the film was thrashed by the critics, Anurag was hailed for his menacing performance.

Another time Anurag played a corrupt cop was in Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer Ghoomketu (2020), but here Anurag’s character of Badlani is a mediocre police officer who has been assigned the task similar to finding a needle in a haystack, except here he doesn’t even have a photograph of the needle as reference. With droopy eyes, a perpetual slouch and comically disappointed expressions, Anurag does a fine job of playing Badlani and proves to be the only comic relief in this film.

Saving best for the last, Anurag Kashyap exaggerated version of himself in AK vs AK is arguably his best onscreen performance to date. Anurag has made the best of his films in lack of money and he has risen to fame owing to their success. While Anurag often reminisces about his humble beginnings in the film industry, in AK vs AK, he makes us meet his arrogant, unhinged side. Despite being declared a fiction, Anurag’s show of angst is so good in the film that it’s hard to differentiate between reality and acting.

The actor Anurag Kashyap embodies yet another menacing character in his latest film Haddi. The film is currently streaming on Zee5.