Director Anurag Kashyap is delighted to have premiered his new film Kennedy at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. There were reports that the film received a seven-minute standing ovation at the Grand Lumiere Theatre. The film premiered at Cannes at midnight. Kennedy was one of two films from India to be officially selected for the festival this year. At the same time, Kashyap’s interviews from Cannes were also in the news. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Anurag Kashyap clarified his point of view regarding the recent controversy, The Kerala Story.
“Honestly you can’t escape politics these days. It is very difficult for cinema to be apolitical. A lot of propaganda films are made like The Kerala Story. I am totally against banning these. But this is a propaganda film. It’s politics. But I don’t want to do an anti-propaganda film against this,” said Anurag Kashyap.“I don’t want to become an activist as a director. I’m doing movies. My film must be based on reality and truth, its politics must come from the politics of the world around that film, from the truths and facts of that world” – he added. Anurag Kashyap also answered the question of whether you feel you can do the films you want considering the socio-political climate of the country. “If you are honest you can. They cannot ban anything factual and impartial. But propaganda against another propaganda is dishonest, but they can’t resist films that are taken honestly” said Anurag.
