Women In Anurag Kashyap’s Films: Celebrating His 5 Strong Female Characters

Actor and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap recently communicated his disappointment and disgust at how Bollywood functions. While talking to The Hollywood Reporter, the ace director frustratingly stated that nowadays, the Hindi film industry is focused on only "how to sell it (films)" and that agencies are focused on making stars rather than actors. As a result, "the joy of filmmaking is sucked out," he pointed out. Lauding South Indian cinema, Kashyap expressed his desire to venture down South. Admittedly, this will be a sore loss for Bollywood because Kashyap's storytelling was a treat to watch on celluloid. The way he projected his characters, especially the female ones, was unparalleled. In this light, let's celebrate his 5 strong female characters.

5 Strong Female Characters in Anurag Kashyap's Films

In the interview, the Rifle Club actor said, “Right from the beginning, before the film starts, it becomes about how to sell it. So, the joy of filmmaking is sucked out. That’s why I want to move out of Mumbai next year. I am going to the South. I want to go where there is stimulation."

In almost all his work, the factor of "stimulation" was intact, as was his unabashed portrayal of women characters. We celebrate 5 of his strong female characters:

1) Mohsina Hamid (Khan): Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)

Gangs of Wasseypur was a masterpiece, alright. The rustic feel around the dual-part series made it a thrilling watch. Moreover, the story was compact, theaction scenes riveting, and the performances were thoroughly engaging. Speaking of performances, a particular one that stood out was Huma Qureshi as Mohsina Hamid (Khan). From her very first appearance at a wedding, the scene where she chides Faizal “Permissan liye aap?" when the dreaded gangster tries to hold her hand, to her shifting to Mumbai with her son after her husband's death, Mohsina's character was anything but a prop in the Gangs of Wasseypur series.

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2) Nagma Khatoon: Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)

Firebrand and motor-mouth, Nagma Khatoon (Richa Chadha) is one of the most "beautifully crafted, author-backed roles" in Bollywood, as the actress described it in October this year. Right from chasing her husband Sardar Khan out of a brothel with a weapon in hand while being nine-month pregnant, speaking in a rough, slang-laden language, to inspiring her son Faizal to avenge his father's murder and eventually establishing his kingdom, Nagma remains one of the most iconic and feisty female characters in the Hindi film industry.

3) Rumi Bagga: Manmarziyaan (2018)

Perfectly flawed, angry, nonchalant, and bold are perfect adjectives for Rumi Bagga (Taapsee Pannu) in Manmarziyaan. Without a care, she humiliates her boyfriend Vicky Sandhu (Vicky Kaushal) because of his deficiencies, fights with customers over hockey sticks, lashes out at the panipuri vendor for not making it as per her taste, and remains undecided about her relationship throughout the movie. This factor of relatability makes you realise that Rumi is all of us, in every frame, in every scene.

4) Kukoo: Sacred Games (2018-2019)

Kukoo, a quintessential gangster squeeze, stuns us with her grace and sensuality from the moment she enters the scene. That she is transgender, which is revealed way later in the series, only makes the character more appealing to us. Played by Kubra Sait with aplomb, Kukoo's relationship with gangster Ganesh Gaitonde (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) is one of the highlights of the Netflix series. Her words before her apparent suicide are, “Bachchan ko zinda rehneke liye, Parveen Babi go jaana hoga na? (For Bachchan to live, Parveen Babi must die)”. Very impactful. Very powerful.

5) Ila Singh: The Lunchbox (2013)

To note, Kashyap didn't direct The Lunchbox; he was attached to it as a co-producer. In the drama film, Ila Singh, played by Nimrat Kaur, is a pretty normal housewife, just like many of our mothers and grandmothers. Isolated, lonely, and deprived of husband's love and care, Ila strikes up an unusual companionship with Saajan Fernandes, a middle-aged widower, all through letters. Words bind them and liberate them like no other. Finally realising her worth via those very letters, Ila leaves her husband with their daughter, echoing the words of her mother: Sometimes, the wrong train takes us to the right station. Brilliant!

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