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The film industry continues to recall the widespread attention garnered by Anurag Kashyap’s Instagram post defending Animal director Sandeep Reddy Vanga. Among the myriad reactions, two stood out: filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan’s succinct “Cringe” and screenwriter-lyricist Varun Grover’s blunt “No.” Now, in a recent interview with The Lallantop, Grover has finally opened up about the reasoning behind his terse response, offering insight into the distinction between defending a film and defending a filmmaker’s public conduct.
Varun Grover explains his blunt “No” to Anurag Kashyap’s post defending Sandeep Reddy Vanga after Animal released: “You are shielding the filmmaker, not the film”
Grover explained his philosophy, stating, “See, if anyone defends a film or a work of art, no matter how divisive or politically incorrect it is, I’ll definitely understand their viewpoint, no matter how I myself don’t agree with the film.” He clarified his stance, “So, to defend a work of art is one thing. But to defend an artist is another thing.”
His core argument lay in the perceived target of Kashyap’s post. “I have always believed that I’m never against or in support of a person. I’m always either in favour of an idea or against it,” Grover elaborated. “I thought in that post, Mr. Kashyap was not defending the film, but the filmmaker, and defending his behaviour. There was nothing in the post about the film, but all about the filmmaker.”
Grover highlighted Vanga’s history of combative public behavior, citing instances of his engagement in social media spats. “He is a filmmaker who, on Twitter or social media, has engaged in fights and behaved obnoxiously,” Grover stated. He specifically recalled Vanga’s dismissive remarks towards veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar, saying, “If I recall correctly, he even told Javed saab that he can’t write or doesn’t have a sense of writing, and he said it very arrogantly and rudely.”
This public conduct, according to Grover, was the crux of his disagreement. “So, I thought, if Mr. Kashyap had defended the film in any way, it would have been fine. I would’ve never said anything. I said ‘No’ because I thought: you are shielding the filmmaker, not the film,” he concluded.
Interestingly, Grover revealed that his comment prompted an immediate call from Anurag Kashyap. “The special thing about Anurag Kashyap is that he has an open heart and mind,” Grover recalled. “He immediately talks, immediately tries to understand you. So, within half an hour, he called and said, ‘Explain to me. What happened? What’s the problem here?”
The conversation proved productive. “So we talked, and he agreed, he said, ‘Yeah, you’re in the right.’ Even later, I went to meet him and we’ve talked about it many times since then,” Grover shared. He praised Kashyap for his egalitarian approach, stating, “The best thing about Kashyap is that he never believed in any hierarchy. He’s not like, ‘Oh, how can you tell me this?’ or ‘I won’t listen to this person.’ That kind of hierarchy doesn’t exist on his film sets, nor in his life.”
The original Instagram post by Kashyap, which sparked the controversy, featured a photo with Sandeep Reddy Vanga alongside a lengthy caption. In it, Kashyap described Vanga as “The most misunderstood, judged and reviled filmmaker at the moment,” but also as “the most honest, vulnerable and a lovely person.” He urged people to “Please talk to him about the problems you have with the film,” calling Animal “The biggest game changer of Hindi cinema in the longest time, and a film whose impact, good or bad, can’t be denied.”
Also Read: Ektaa Kapoor claps back at Anurag Kashyap’s “Saas-Bahu” comment; calls it “classist”, urges self-awareness among artists
More Pages: Animal Box Office Collection , Animal Movie Review
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