I am not a charity: Anurag Kashyap will now charge ‘1 lac for 10 minutes’ of meeting with newcomers

In an unexpected turn of events, Indian filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who has championed many emerging stars, has lashed out against ‘mediocre’ showbiz aspirants who take undue advantage of his time. The director, who has often puts his two cents without censor, took to IG with a loud and clear message: Don't waste my time.

In a long statement, the filmmaker voiced his frustration and penned, “I wasted a lot of time trying to help newcomers and mostly ended up with mediocre s***. So, now onwards, I don't want to waste my time meeting random people who think they are creative geniuses.”

To everyone’s shock, Anurag went on to state his rates for newbies in the field interested in meeting with him. He said, “So I will now have rates. If someone wants to meet me for 10-15 minutes, I will charge 1 lac, for half an hour, 2 lacs, and for 1 hour, 5 lacs. That's the rate.” 

“I am tired of wasting time meeting people. If you really think you can afford it, call me or stay the f*** away. And all paid in advance,” he capped the note. In the post’s caption, the Bombay Talkies director furthered on, “And I mean it: Don’t text or DM or call me. Pay and you will get time. I am not a charity, and I am tired of people looking for shortcuts.” Anurag has been pivotal in establishing stars like Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his Mukkabaaz muse Vineet Kumar Singh.

Last year, The Washington Post published a deep dive shedding light on the complexities of Indian cinema and politics in conversation with the filmmaker. Anurag also spoke about health issues during a turbulent period of his life and opened up on the significance of his project Maximum City.

Described by the article as his "magnum opus," the director expressed his disappointment over its departure from Netflix whilst reflecting on the challenges faced in the streaming industry. Anurag, known for his bold and impactful storytelling, stated about Maximum City, "It was my best work. I’ve never done such honest, important work." 

However, he revealed that Netflix's decision to part ways with the project lacked specific reasoning, leaving him to speculate whether the content became too sensitive or if he had become a sensitive figure for the streaming platform.

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