Indian auteur Anurag Kashyap, whose latest directorial feature “Bandar” marks his return behind the camera, is at this year’s Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) as jury president while also leading a masterclass titled “Unfiltered Realism.” But rather than having all the answers, the veteran filmmaker is hoping to discover something new.
“As jury president, what I’m really looking for is a new cinematic language,” Kashyap tells Variety. “I’m interested in seeing how younger filmmakers tell stories in ways my generation couldn’t.”
Kashyap believes today’s filmmakers are entering an entirely different creative landscape. AI tools, social media and an overwhelming abundance of information have transformed not only how films are made but also how audiences receive them.
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Looking back on more than two decades of filmmaking, Kashyap pushed back on a common assumption. “Staying real isn’t a choice,” he added. “Whether I’m directing, producing or acting, you have to stay real. Only then can you fully play out reality and truly engage your audience.”
He acknowledges that earlier in his career, limited budgets and available technology naturally pushed his films toward grounded storytelling. But he argues that authenticity has never been about visual style.
Rather than seeing authenticity as a branding strategy, Kashyap believes local stories resonate globally precisely because they remain deeply rooted in their own cultures.
Across Asia, Kashyap sees filmmakers share many of the same challenges despite working in different industries. “South Korea, Japan, China and India all have mature film industries,” he says. “But we’re all facing the same problem – audiences have shorter attention spans, and streaming platforms have created endless choices.”
Those concerns echo comments Kashyap made earlier this year about the pressures facing contemporary cinema, particularly independent filmmaking in an increasingly fragmented viewing environment.
Rather than offering a blueprint for filmmaking, Kashyap hopes the masterclass will become a conversation – one where he’s as eager to learn as he is to share his own experiences.
“I have many questions myself as well,” he says. “I’m hoping to find some answers, have meaningful conversations during the festival and maybe discover another clue about the future of cinema.”