Artistes should have guts to talk about rights: Anurag Kashyap

Kolkata, Feb 04: Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who was among a clutch of eminent personalities to voice support to the recent anti-CAA protests, feels that an artiste should have "guts" to talk about rights.

A creative person should be socially conscious, the acclaimed director said here, after inaugurating the 5th Dumdum International Film Festival. "An artiste should have the guts and courage to talk about his rights. He is the mirror of society, the conscience of society," Kashyap said on Monday evening.

The 'Gangs of Wasseypur' maker has time and again made statements on social media against the central government, including on the issue of the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Last month, Kashyap was present at a protest rally in Mumbai against the violence on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus. Kashyap had also backed actor Deepika Padukone when she was heavily trolled for visiting the JNU campus in January to show solidarity with the students.

"An artiste should speak the truth instead of making politically correct statements," the director, who has often faced flak for his remarks, said.

Kashyap said the works of Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak, among other auteurs, inspired him to become a filmmaker.

"Had I not attended a (particular) film festival and got bowled over by certain movies, I would have become something else, perhaps a scientist," he said.

"Bengal has made great contribution to cinema - from Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt to doyens such as Ray and Ghatak," the 'Black Friday' director said.