Anurag Kashyap didn't meet daughter Aaliyah for a year after separation from first wife: 'I was an addict, went to...'

Anurag Kashyap, who is known for making critically acclaimed movies such Gangs of Wasseypur, Gulaal, and Ugly among others, tied the knot with film editor Aarti Bajaj in 1997. The couple welcomed their daughter Aaliyah in 2001, but their marriage didn't last long as they got seprated and finally got divorced in 2009.

The filmmaker recently conducted a masterclass at the Annapurna College of Film and Media, where he shared some of his personal experiences too. At the same event, Anurag mentioned how he made the 2007 animated film Return of Hanuman for his daughter Aaliyah after he couldn't meet her for an year after his separation from his first wife.

Kashyap said, "When I was dealing with a lot of things in the industry, I was also an alcoholic for a brief period of time. I was an addict and I went to de-addiction centre, after which I discovered new details about my writing process. I was separated at that time and I had not met my daughter for a year. My way of connecting with her was by making an animated film called Return of Hanuman. The movie saved me."

The Bombay Velvet director also talked about his initial days in Bollywood as he shared, "When I came to the film industry, it was largely controlled by families. A lot of people came to the film industry, they couldn’t get in, but I did. The reason being, I posed no threat. I was not asking them for anything in return, except the opportunity to be included. I didn’t ask for credit, or money. I was just happy that I was getting an opportunity to work on a film. So, because I posed no threat to anyone, I was allowed to hang around. And in those three years of working without credit, ghost writing, and getting just three meals a day, I learnt more than anybody can teach you."

After his first marriage failed, Anurag Kashyap had married actress Kalki Koechlin in 2011. The two had met each other on the sets of his 2009 romantic drama DevD, which also marked her acting debut. However, they announced their separation in 2013 and got divorced in 2015. Kalki is now married to Guy Hershberg, with whom she shares a daughter Sappho.