Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has once again stirred the conversation around Bollywood’s originality, predicting that the Hindi film industry will soon churn out numerous imitations of the Malayalam blockbuster ‘Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra’.

Known for his candid opinions, Kashyap didn’t hold back in a recent interview, criticising producers and the overall approach of Hindi cinema.

In an interview with Entertainment Live, Anurag described Bollywood producers as “cheap imitators” whose idea of cinema is limited to the “hit films” they watch.

“Hindi cinema is lacking good producers. They see their counterparts from the South producing massive hits packed with violence and action, and the only thing they can think of doing is making the same films in Hindi. South filmmakers have conviction, Hindi producers don’t; they’re cheap imitators. It’s the producers’ fault. They also get in the way of directors who actually have the conviction,” he said.

Highlighting the success of ‘Lokah’, he added, “Look at how well Lokah is doing… Filmmakers there are very collaborative, but the Hindi industry has gone in a different direction. Just wait and watch, they’ll make 10 Lokah rip-offs now.”

Are Bollywood producers aware of global trends?

Kashyap also pointed out that many Hindi producers are not aware of popular global content. “Whenever you open BookMyShow, Demon Slayer is playing. Bollywood producers have no idea about it; they’re happy seeing posters of their own films,” he said, referencing the widespread popularity of the Japanese anime franchise in India.

Earlier, he also stated that “If you are talking about influence of AI in Hindi cinema, they have not made anything original recently. It is mostly remakes, and honestly, AI can help them with better copies and better remakes.”

Currently, the director is busy promoting his film ‘Nishaanchi’.