Anurag Kashyap says India doesn’t need masked superheroes, we have Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan: ‘We have low self esteem…’
Anurag Kashyap delved into the psychology of fans, noting that while Hollywood has superheroes like Iron Man and Hulk, Hindi films rely on megastars like Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan instead.
Anurag Kashyap opened up about stardom in India. (Pic: SRK, Anyrag/Instagram)
Anurag Kashyap, known for his unconventional films, opened up about the tendency of fans to hero-worship actors in the film industry. He delved into the psychology of fans, noting that while Hollywood has superheroes like Iron Man and Hulk, Hindi films rely on megastars like Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan instead.
Speaking on the YouTube channel Humans Of Cinema, he said, “We are a country of hero worshippers. We are deprived of many things and have low self-esteem and confidence. We need heroes. Why do our films have larger-than-life heroes? We are the only country where actors won’t cover their faces while playing superheroes. The masks would be so small because it is important to show their faces.”
He added, “They have Iron Man and other superheroes; we have Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan as our superheroes. We don’t need Iron Man and Hulk. We have Sunny Deol—what is Hulk in front of him? This is in all of us; we need heroes to feel better about ourselves. We fantasise about this. An average Indian dreams about doing something heroic.”
In an earlier interview, Anurag explained why he never attempted to make films with a big star like Shah Rukh or Salman Khan. “Though I came here to make films, there was a time when I succumbed to it (the habit of chasing stars). Everybody was telling me, ‘Without stars you are doing this… imagine what you will do with stars’. That’s when the tide turns the other way and the slide starts,” he said during a chat with Puja Talwar. He also pointed out that fans in India are fanatical. “There’s no such practice in other countries. So, there you have more freedom and actors also play around. We are driven by hero-worshipping here.”
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