Laxman Utekar slams Anurag Kashyap for quitting Bollywood? Chhaava director says 'beshaq chale jao': 'Aap gyani mat bano'

Director Laxman Utekar has given his first interview after the blockbuster success of his directorial, Vicky Kaushal-starrer Chhaava, and he took a sarcastic jibe at filmmakers, including Anurag Kashyap, who ditched Bollywood, tried to run down the Hindi film industry and ventured out. While appearing on a Mamarazzi podcast, Laxman was asked to react to the filmmakers who are claiming that 'cinema is dead', 'people are not willing to step out for movies', and 'audiences are incapable of understanding good films and they are neglecting them'. 

Laxman, in his firm voice, affirmed that there are few filmmakers who consider themselves as 'gyaani', and they feel compelled to bring a major change in society with their films. He said, "Yeh bilkul galat hai. Cinema kabhi marega nahi. Kuch filmmakers hai jinko lag raha hai ki unko moksha mil chuka hai. Unko lagta hai ki audience ko unki film samaj mein nahi aayi. Toh phir banai kyu aapne? Kiske liye banai? Ghar pe khud dekho film. Agar tumhe lagta hai ki tumne bahut hi extraordinary film banai hai, par audience ko samaj nahi aayi, toh phir kya doctor ne bola tha film banane ko? Nahi banate. At the end of the day, ek book likhte us kahani par (This is absolutely wrong. Cinema will never die. There are some filmmakers who feel that they have attained salvation. They feel that the audience did not understand their film. Then why did you make it? For whom did you make it? Watch the film yourself at home. If you feel that you have made a very extraordinary film, but the audience did not understand it, then did the doctor tell you to make the film? Don't make it. At the end of the day, I would write a book on that story)." 

The Lukka Chuppi director further added that a director should consider himself a messiah who will bring a change the society with his film. "As a filmmaker, aapko dhyaan mein rakhna hoga ki, aapko kisi ne kranti lane ke liye nahi kaha hai. Duniya badalne ke liye kisi ne nahi bola hai. Waha pe hai log. Aap yaha pe paise kamane ko aaye ho, aap yaha aa ke moksha mila hai, waise gyaani mat bano. Chup-chap apna kaam karo. Aapka kaam hai achi film banana, logon ko entertain karna. Toh woh karo (As a filmmaker, you must keep in mind that nobody has asked you to bring about a revolution. Nobody has asked you to change the world. People are there. You have come here to earn money, you have found salvation by coming here, don't pretend to be a wise man. Do your work quietly. Your job is to make good films and entertain people)." 

Laxman, on the contrary, asserted that cinema isn't dying. Screens are increasing each year. Audience has become smarter, with better sensibilities, and they know what to watch and ignore. Later in the conversation, the host mentioned storytellers who are saying that they quit Bollywood and are moving out to different languages (the most recent example is of Anurag Kashyap). Without naming anyone, Laxman said, "Chale jao, besahaq chale jao." Though Laxman or the host didn't name anyone, this reply is clearly hinted towards  Anurag, who recently made news about getting more love and appreciation in South.