Anurag Kashyap, born on September 10, 1972, in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, in an affluent family. His initial goal was to become a scientist but that changed soon after he got exposure to the works of Italian film director and actor Vittorio De Sica at a film festival in Delhi. Anurag attended the Scindia School in Gwalior and studied at Hansraj College, University of Delhi. He moved to Mumbai and began to work as a writer for television shows. Actor Manoj Bajpayee recommended Anurag Kashyap's name to director Ram Gopal Varma as a writer for the now cult movie Satya (1998). From then on began Anurag Kashyap's incredible journey. Anurag Kashyap's filmography is ranked as one of the most influential in modern Bollywood. Most actors would give an arm and leg to do a project with him given his knack of extracting superlative performances. Irreverent, gritty and realistic are some of the adjectives to describe his brand of cinema. On his birthday and ahead of his newest film Nishaanchi that releases on September 19, let's take a look at Anurag Kashyap's cult films. Anurag Kashyap’s Best On-Screen Pairings: From Aaishvary Thackeray and Vedika Pinto in ‘Nishaanchi’ to Taapsee Pannu-Vicky Kaushal in ‘Manmarziyaan’.

Five Movies of Anurag Kashyap That Are Fan Favourites

Here is a look at some Anurag Kashyap films that are rated highly by fans on social media platforms like Quora and Reddit, and have a cult following.

1. ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’

Set against the backdrop of the coal mafia of Dhanbad, this is considered as the GOAT movie of Anurag Kashyap. A six-hour crime drama loaded with black comedy, Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) is known for its acting talent, music and screenplay, which is the perhaps one of the best. Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Richa Chadha, Huma Qureshi to Pankaj Tripathi, the number of standout performances in Gangs of Wasseypur will make any fan giddy with happiness. The Guardian listed Gangs of Wasseypur 59th on the 100th Greatest Movies of the 21st Century list in 2019. GoW  had a re-release in theatres for a week in August-September 2024. Anurag Kashyap Wants 'India' to Take NO Credit for Payal Kapadia's Cannes Win for All We Imagine as Light and He Explains Why! (Watch Video).  

‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ Has Become a Cult Favourite With Meme Makers

 

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2. ‘Black Friday’

Anurag Kashyap’s Black Friday (2007) was a true labour of love. He persisted with the film despite the numerous obstacles that came in the way of its making and release. It is based on the book of S Hussain Zaidi, Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts. Kay Kay Menon played the role of DCP Rakesh Maria while Pavan Malhotra was Tiger Memon. International critics said Black Friday was in the same league as Steven Spielberg's Munich (2005) and Oliver Stone's Salvador (1986).

Fans Hail ‘Black Friday’ as a Milestone Film in Indian Cinema

3. ‘Gulaal’

Gulaal, which released in 2009 after delay, is one of the underrated movies of Anurag Kashyap. It is about student politics, the Rajput separatist movement and imbalance of power in society. It starred Raj Singh Chaudhary, Abhimanyu Singh, Ayesha Mohan, Jesse Randhawa, Deepak Dobriyal and others.

4. ‘Ugly’

Many believe this ranks amongst Anurag Kashyap's finest works, even ahead of Gangs of Wasseypur. A crime thiller, Ugly (2013) was about broken marriages, vendetta, and moral ruin told against the backdrop of the kidnapping mafia. It was based on what Anurag Kashyap heard about the Lucknow kidnapping mafia and how ransom was not often a reason for the abductions. Ronit Bose Roy, Rahul Bhat, Surveen Chawla, Vineet Kumar Singh, Girish Kulkarni, Tejaswini Kolhapure and Siddhanth Kapoor were in the main roles in Ugly. Alia Bhatt had a cameo appearance as the younger version of Tejaswini.

‘Ugly’ Ranks as One of India’s Most Intriguing Films Ever Made - Watch Trailer:

5. ‘Dev.D’

Abhay Deol, Kalki Koechlin and Mahie Gill played lead roles in this romantic drama that was a new age re-telling of Devdas, the classic novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay on which several films were made in the past. Dev.D released in 2009 and was a box office hit. It ranks along with GoW as a total crowd favourite.

The Anurag Kashyap film Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat (2023), with Alaya F and Karan Mehta in the lead, was not received well. However, that same year, his film Kennedy, starring Sunny Leone and Rahul Bhat, received rave reviews abroad and at the Mumbai MAMI Film Festival 2023. But it has not released in theatres in India. Fans are now awaiting the release of his rustic film Nischaanchi. ‘Nishaanchi’ Trailer: Aaishvary Thackeray's Double Act in Anurag Kashyap’s Masala Spectacle Leaves Netizens Impressed! (Watch Video).

Anurag Kashyap Film 'Nischaanchi' Trailer - Watch Video:

We wish Anurag Kashyap a very Happy Birthday!

With inputs by Shweta Parande.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 10, 2024 08:40 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).