Anurag Kashyap reveals he broke down every room in his house to keep family and ‘riff-raff’ out: ‘I’ve isolated myself’ | Bollywood News

Director Anurag Kashyap said that he was ‘heartbroken’ when Phantom Films, the production company he co-ran with filmmakers Vikramaditya Motwane, Vikas Bahl and Madhu Mantena, closed down following the #MeToo allegations against Bahl. But he bottled up his emotions and doubled down on work, which affected his health adversely. In a new interview, Anurag said that he has taken steps to take back control of his life, which includes shutting out people and isolating himself.

For the longest time, he said on Flip the Script with Shubra podcast, he would welcome strugglers into his house and offer his mentorship to anybody in need of it. But how can you give water to somebody with an empty glass, he reasoned in the interview, explaining why he made the decision to focus on himself, and what that implies. “My house had a lot of rooms, and every time somebody was passing through, they’d stay there. I broke all the rooms. There’s only one room.”

He continued, “This time, consciously, I’ve the kitchen also out. I need my isolation. I’ve isolated myself. I’m with my books and my movies and my shows. Even if family comes, I say, ‘I don’t have space in my house’.” Anurag said that drawing these boundaries has fuelled his creativity, and that he hasn’t written this much in over half a decade.

He said, “When my company broke down, I was heartbroken. But instead of dealing with that pain, I rushed into work. I made film after film, series after series. Emotionally, I was all over the place, but I didn’t accept it. Suddenly, the lockdown happened, and there was nothing I could escape to. And I had to face myself, and I imploded.”

Anurag said that he has always been a hyper-sensitive person, but had to learn to take a step back in order to fix his own problems first. Asked how he keeps the ‘yes men’ and the ‘riff-raff’ out of his orbit now, he said, “Earlier, I was surrounded by a lot of people. The idea was to encourage them. And now, it’s tiring for me. People still come to me thinking I will do something for them. But I say no, I’m not the charitarian.”