Anurag Kashyap’s 2012 action drama Gangs of Wasseypur
has become the only Indian film to feature in The Guardian’s list of
100 Best Films of the 21st century
. The list has been curated by reviewers from the publication, such as Peter Bradshaw, Cath Clarke, Andrew Pulver and Catherine Shoard. Paul Thomas Anderson’s American epic drama, There Will Be Blood (2007) has topped the list and Kashyap’s film has taken the 59th spot. [caption id=“attachment_2812418” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Gangs of Wasseypur. Image from Twitter[/caption] In doing so, Gangs of Wasseypur overtakes seminal works including Gladiator (2000), Lost In Translation (2003), Brokeback Mountain (2005), and No Country For Old Men (2007). Critically acclaimed films like Persepolis (2007), Waltz With Bashir (2007) and Capernaum (2018), have also ranked beneath Kashyap’s film. Since the list is curated on feature films made from the turn of the century (after 2000), it may be the main reason why the usual Indian filmmakers like Satyajit Ray (for his iconic Pather Panchali, which released in 1955) and Guru Dutt (Pyaasa in 1957) are not part of the list. See the full list here
On the work front, Kashyap is currently busy with his yet-untitled project featuring Saiyami Kher and Roshan Mathew, reports Cinestaan. The filmmaker is also working on Netflix’s horror anthology titled Ghost Stories . This omnibus will see four of India’s film directors helm individual stories in the horror or supernatural genre. The stories, directed by Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee, and Anurag Kashyap, will be thematically connected to each other and culminate in a hair-raising end. Ghost Stories is the third collaboration between Netflix and RSVP. Produced by Ronnie Screwvala and RSVP, in association with Ashi Dua of Flying Unicorn Entertainment, Ghost Stories will stream to 151 million members across 190 countries at the same time. Kashyap spoke about the collaboration and said, “I am really looking forward to challenging myself to make something that I have never attempted before. Also, I have never prepared so much for anything before.”