Anurag Kashyap opens up about OTT pressure

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, celebrated for redefining modern Hindi cinema with acclaimed films like Black Friday and Gangs of Wasseypur, has revealed shocking details about a difficult phase in his career that pushed him into serious health complications. In recent years, the director’s momentum in mainstream Bollywood slowed after a string of professional setbacks and growing disillusionment with industry controversies, leading him to shift focus towards web-based projects.

In a recent interview, Anurag disclosed that his long professional association with Netflix led to extreme stress, which eventually resulted in life-threatening health issues. Speaking about a project he was developing for the platform, he said he spent over a year and a half writing the script and invested significant personal money into it. According to him, Netflix approved the project without fully understanding the story and without properly reading the script, despite his repeated insistence. Eventually, the platform allegedly went silent on the project.

He further revealed that Netflix later offered him a different script to direct. When he asked for more time due to dissatisfaction with the material, he claimed the platform pressured him to proceed, citing actor schedules and production timelines. Adding to his frustration, Anurag said that when Netflix liked another concept he had written, they asked him to modify it in the style of Money Heist, an approach he strongly opposed.

The prolonged stress, Anurag revealed, led to two heart attacks. He had to be placed on blood-thinning medication and also faced complications after taking the Covid vaccine. His revelations have sparked wider conversations about the intense emotional, financial, and creative pressure faced by filmmakers when working with large platforms, highlighting the vulnerable realities behind high-profile projects and big collaborations.