I’d love to repeat Abhay Deol in a film: Anurag Kashyap

NEW DELHI - Still riding high on the success of his last venture “Dev D”, his career’s commercial best till date, director Anurag Kashyap says he would like to team up again with the film’s lead actor Abhay Deol.

“I’d love to repeat Abhay Deol in a film, but then I should also have a role that suits him. I feel Abhay has a very urban feel and you really have to think before casting him,” Kashyap told IANS in a telephonic interview from Mumbai.

“Dev D” was a contemporary take on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s “Devdas” and starred Mahi Gill and Kalki Koechlin apart from Abhay.

“I love to repeat actors, but it depends upon the role. For that matter, I think Kay Kay Menon is the most repeated actor in my films because he just gets into any character’s skin,” the director added.

Kay Kay was seen in Kashyap’s “Black Friday”, “Paanch” and “Gulal”.

Now Kashyap is teaming up again with Kay Kay and his “No Smoking” (2007) actor John Abraham for a thriller titled “Bombay Velvet”, a film based in Mumbai.

“I’m fascinated with this city (Mumbai). I collect old pictures of Mumbai to see what it was earlier and how has it changed. I have always felt some connection with the place since I came here in 1993. And it comes out in my films,” said the 36-year-old.

Kashyap’s directorial debut “Black Friday” (2004) dealt with the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, while “Satya” (1998), which was scripted by him, revolved around the city’s underworld nexus.

Kashyap, who started his career as a writer, says he was inspired by English novelist Virginia Woolf.

“Virginia Woolf has been an inspiration for my writing. In fact, when I was working with Rajit Kapur for his stage play ‘Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf’, I saw it so many times both backstage and from the front that it sank into me and I learnt the intricacies of writing,” he said.

But the director credits himself more for his forte at wielding the megaphone than the pen.

“I’m a 70 percent director, a 10 percent writer and a 20 percent manipulator of emotions. As a filmmaker, you know what you want, but you have to manipulate everyone to get the same … whether it’s the actress in terms of the role or the producer in terms of the money,” he said.

Kashyap is also finicky about choosing music for his films.

“I am always on the lookout for a new sound. Once I’ve used a certain kind of music in a film, I don’t feel like repeating it. Music of my films comes from listening. I am someone who loves watching movies, reading books and listening to music,” he said.

Apart from “Bombay Velvet”, his future projects include “Udaan”, “Happy Ending” and “Doga”. He has also forayed into television as the host of documentary series “True Stories”, which will be aired on Fox History & Entertainment from June 11 onwards.