Anurag Kashyap at Cannes 2026 | ‘There Are Many More Malayalam And Tamil Films That Can Make It To Festivals’

Anurag Kashyap has been on a pursuit — a pursuit to find where cinema is headed and, better yet, find his place in the industry. And where better than Cannes to discover some answers? The prominent director, producer, and actor speaks to The Hollywood Reporter India about finding direction and hope at the prestigious film festival during the AI era.

"There is so much intelligent and political writing. There's so much left to do with cinema, and I'm hopeful," Kashyap tells The Hollywood Reporter India, speaking about the fearlessness of films such as Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, the opening film of the Un Certain Regard section, and Paweł Pawlikowski's Fatherland, starring Sandra Hüller.“I came here looking for inspiration, looking for a direction, and I’m finding one.” 

When the conversation shifts to the opening of an official Independent Filmmakers Association of India (IFAI), a non-profit comprising over 120 Indian filmmakers, Kashyap adds that he's "indie in thought" even if he might not be part of the collective. "I'm very happy it's happening. Getting funding is easy for me, and I don't want to dip into a pool that will take away from filmmakers who really are starting out...For me, it’s not difficult to find funding. For me, it’s very difficult to figure out what I want to do,” he adds. 

While it is refreshing to see filmmakers from various industries at Cannes, a playground that has often been explored largely by the Hindi film industry in the past, Kashyap notes a need for better strategy. “I feel it’s good that they’re trying to take it beyond India, but I think they’re all doing it the wrong way.” Speaking about Chidambaram's Balan: The Boy (the upcoming Malayalam film had a market screening at the festival) as an example, the director points out how the entire marketing of Indian films at festivals needs rethinking.

“Are you inviting the right people? Are you inviting the distributors and the salespeople?” he asks. “Who is watching it and what do they know about the filmmaker or anyone from a trailer launch at Cannes except you getting press back home in India,” he further asserts. There is a need to actually expand the market, in Kashyap's view. "There are so many films, especially from Kerala and indie films from Tamil, that can make it to festivals. But festivals don't know about them. The strategising has to change." And that starts with spreading awareness and understanding the importance of co-production. "If you're screening a person's film, people should be aware of their earlier work. Then you bring in people. This is missing, and things get lost. This [the existing strategy] is an extension of our promotion at home."