If there is any director in Bollywood who has mastered the craft of portraying violence, crime, and thrill, it is Anurag Kashyap. His films are unconventional, but also realistic. Leave it only to Kashyap to have his audience glued to their seats while watching the bloodiest of scenes. Throughout his filmography, he has worked as a producer, writer, director, and even an actor.
But Kashyap stands unrivalled as a feature film director in his genre. Here are all the feature films directed by Anurag Kashyap ranked according to IMDb.
1. Black Friday – 8.4
The movie follows after the 1993 serial Bombay bomb blasts. It is based on Hussain Zaidi’s book – Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts. The film has stellar performances by Kay Kay Menon, Gajraj Rao, and even Imitiaz Ali.
2.Gangs of Wasseypur – 8.2
Released in two parts, Gangs of Wasseypur is a cult classic. It has given us memorable characters such as Sardar Khan, Faizal Khan, Perpendicular, and others. Based on the coal mafia of Dhanbad, the film revolves around power, politics, and vengeance across three families.
The movie is set against the backdrop of student politics at a university. Things take a different turn when the general secretary of the college witnesses deception, homicide, and crime.
4. Mukkabaaz – 8
This movie is not just any other sports film. Through Shravan Singh and Bhagwan Das Mishra, the movie portrays the reality of corruption, nepotism, and casteism which come to the forefront when politics and sports are mingled together.
This movie is Anurag Kashyap’s take on the famous Bengali novel – Devdas. The film takes you through the point of view of all three characters in three parts. Dev finds solace in drugs after Paro, his childhood sweetheart, breaks up with him. He bumps into Chanda, a sex worker, and falls for her.
Set against the backdrop of a minor gone missing, Ugly shows a mirror to the society where human emotions constantly clash, giving rise to jealousy and egoism. The movie took a serious issue and portrayed it in a distinctive way. (Fun fact: Alia Bhatt has a cameo in the movie.)
The abstract storyline of this film has led to everyone having a different interpretation and that is what makes this movie a good watch. Apart from its name, the movie has nothing to do with smoking. But below the surface, the movie is much more. It is rife with symbolism and imagery.
8. Raman Raghav 2.0 – 7.3
In eight chapters, the movie revolves around Raghav (a corrupt cop) and Raman (a real-life serial killer who was active in Mumbai in the 1960s). The movie is unlike any other cop chase the killer film. The movie is dark, spine-chilling, and even makes the audience feel uneasy in some scenes.
Possibly the most un-Anurag Kashyap movie Anurag Kashyap has ever directed. This movie is an animated kids’ film. However, it is one of the few kid-friendly animated movies Bollywood has ever produced.
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10. Manmarziyaan – 6.9
Far from the world of drugs and crime, Anurag Kashyap jumps into the world of love stories and gives us a complex love triangle. Rumi and Vicky are in love. She is trying to convince her parents to let her marry Vicky, only for him to get cold feet. Rumi’s parents get her married to Robbie but she cheats on him. Later she realizes Robbie was the “husband material” she wanted.
11. That Girl in Yellow Boots – 6.6
A British woman travels to Mumbai to find her father because of a letter he had written to her. The story revolves around the woman’s quest to find her father while trying to survive in the city without a work permit.
The movie is set against the backdrop of the 2016 demonetisation of notes. A bank cashier is weighed down paying off her jobless husband’s debts. One day, she finds a source of unlimited cash that chokes her kitchen pipeline and things change for her.
13. Bombay Velvet – 5.5
The movie is based on historian Gyan Prakash’s book – Mumbai Fables. Set in the early 1950s, an ordinary man enters the world of crime to get a headstart on his ambitions. But dealing in crime turns deadly when he faces challenges.
A time travel movie of sorts, Dobaaraa is an official remake of a Spanish movie – Mirage. A woman saves a boy who witnessed a death during a thunderstorm 25 years ago. They connected through a television set in the present.
Tell us which of these Anurag Kashyap movies is your favourite.