Anurag Kashyap has a fear of blood, attending funerals; reveals why his films are full of violence

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap is known for creating films high on violence. After Gangs of Wasseypur, Raman Raghav 2,0, Black Friday, Gulaal and No Smoking, the filmmaker is back with the neo-noir thriller Kennedy which is about an ex-cop who is on a killing spree. The director is currently In France to showcase his upcoming movie at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival this year. In a recent interview, he recently revealed that he is terrified of blood, accidents and attending funerals. He also opened up about the reason behind making violent movies.

Talking on the sidelines of Kennedy, Anurag said that he has a difficult relationship with violence. “I have a very complicated relationship with violence. Violence affects me a lot. If I see blood in real life, I faint. If I see an accident, I faint. I am terrified of attending funerals. I have a very difficult relationship with violence, which is why in my films, the violence will be extreme, but off-screen. An exception to this is Gangs of Wasseypur.” he told Film Companion.

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Further, Anurag explained how putting violence on screen limits it. “I have always kept it (violence) outside. The point of impact has always been off screen… In Raman Raghav, Ugly, Paanch and so on… you only see the rage, but not the impact. My whole thing is, the audience’s imagination is so vivid, that it will be much more scarier. If we put it on screen, we are limiting it. When we don’t put it on screen, their imagination makes it scarier.” he added.

Kennedy stars Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone in pivotal roles. The upcoming film revolves around an insomniac ex-policeman who is long thought to be dead but still operates while looking for redemption. Anurag also revealed that South superstar Chiyaan Vikram was his first choice for the role of Kennedy. He had to rope in Rahul because Chiyaan never responded to him. Backed by Zee Studios and Ranjan Singh and Kabir Ahuja for Good Bad Films, the official release date of the film is yet to be announced.