Anurag Kashyap Reacts To Bombay Velvet Massive Failure; Calls It 'Worst Experience Of Life'

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap recently shared insights into the challenges he faced after his 2015 film, Bombay Velvet, flopped. He described the experience as traumatic and revealed that it significantly impacted him both professionally and emotionally. The director admitted that the pressure during the film's post-production phase was overwhelming, marking it as "the worst experience" of his life.

Kashyap explained how the failure of Bombay Velvet forced him to rethink his approach to filmmaking. The movie, which had a budget of ₹90 crore but only earned ₹43.20 crore globally, led him to scale down drastically. He recounted asking a production house for funds without revealing the script or cast, resulting in a budget of just ₹3.5 crore for his next project.

Creative Challenges and Producer's Role

The director also highlighted the importance of having a supportive producer during a film's creation. Kashyap stated, "Director is the captain of the ship, but a producer is the mother of the film." He emphasized that a director can only create quality work when backed by a confident producer. If producers are fearful, their anxiety can affect directors too.

Reflecting on creative conflicts during Bombay Velvet's production, Kashyap mentioned feeling unsupported by those involved. He cited demands to shorten the film by cutting significant parts as an example of this lack of support. These pressures arose due to concerns about the film's cost and opening weekend performance.

Bombay Velvet: A Brief Overview

Released on May 15, 2015, Bombay Velvet is a Hindi-language neo-noir period crime drama directed by Anurag Kashyap. The film draws inspiration from Gyan Prakash's book Mumbai Fables and stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, and Karan Johar in leading roles. Despite its ambitious scale and ₹120 crore budget, it struggled at the box office.

Kashyap acknowledged how filmmakers can become trapped in trying to make commercially successful films after experiencing failure with big-budget projects. He noted that many filmmakers spend their careers attempting to prove they can create hit films after an initial setback.

Despite its grand vision and notable cast including Kay Kay Menon and Vivaan Shah, Bombay Velvet earned only about ₹23 crore in its first week. It received mixed reviews from critics and was ultimately deemed a commercial failure.

The director candidly expressed that if he had retained 25 minutes cut from Bombay Velvet due to external pressures, it might have been more successful. This decision was driven by concerns over costs and opening weekend results rather than artistic integrity.

Kashyap concluded by reflecting on how owning failures could have lessened their impact on him personally. He expressed regret over not taking full ownership of Bombay Velvet's outcome at the time.