Exclusive |Anurag Kashyap at Cannes 2026 Reveals He is Exploring International Projects: 'Discussing If My Ideas Can Translate'

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap laughs at how long it has taken him to even entertain the idea of making an international film in a foreign language. But after 20 years of resisting the thought—and the offers—the prolific director is finally considering whether he can mount a project outside his comfort zone.

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India at the Cannes Film Festival, Kashyap revealed he is finally open to understanding how to helm a film from outside India.

It is a shift that has come much to the surprise of his team, who he notes have been wanting him to consider global projects ever since Black Friday.

“I am meeting filmmakers who have forever been chasing me from outside India to make a film, and I’ve been saying no because I am such a Banarasi boy. I had learnt how to speak English after so long, so how will I speak French or any other language and make a film! But today I am meeting people, and discussing if my ideas can translate. I am trying to figure it out."

Kashyap points to Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, who has made the french film Parallel Tales. "So there are these collaborations happening, where they are looking for filmmakers from the outside because it is a different perspective."

While he hasn’t announced a new directorial title just yet, Kashyap shared that he is currently in a prolific writing phase for a diverse range of filmmakers. His current slate includes writing dialogues for Vikramaditya Motwane's Dada (the upcoming biopic of legendary Indian cricketer and former captain Sourav Ganguly), as well as projects for Luv Ranjan, Akiv Ali, and Nikhil Mahajan.

"I am back in the groove, just like I was in 2001-2003 when I was writing for Mani Ratnam, Shankar, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, or Ram Gopal Verma. I am not sitting and judging which filmmakers to write for or don't. I am doing commisoned writing to the satifaction of the filmmaker. I am not writing for myself, and in that process I am learning, unlearning, and I needed that, because you get into your own bubble.

"A few years ago I said Aditya Chopra lives in a cave, but I realised so do I! So I had to get out of my cave and figure out a few things. I am on a pilgrimage of movies and film festivals! I have also written two scripts for myself and I am going to write three more. I am going to finish writing all of them befire I even make one," he added.