Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has been rather candid about his mental well-being and romantic experiences. During a recent podcast session with his daughter Aaliyah on “Young, Dumb and Anxious,” Anurag delved into the impact of his two divorces on his life.
Reflecting on his journey, he admitted to realizing that he isn’t naturally inclined towards long-term relationships, attributing this insight partly to the nature of his filmmaking endeavors. Anurag suggested that his artistic pursuits may have influenced his romantic outlook, implying that his thematic focus might be more conducive to success in a European cultural context.
Talking to his daughter, Anurag shared, “I have realised that I am not a relationship person. I can’t because of my obsession with my films, my work and with the kind of films I make… I would have been very good in relationships if I was born in Europe and making films there. Because there is a royalty system. Because the money would keep coming in. But here, there is no royalty, there’s no system like that. So I have to make more films at a higher frequency as compared to someone who is working with a big star, who is making one film in five years.”
When Aaliyah asked if Anurag wanted to get married again, the director said, “I don’t think so.” As known, Anurag was first married to editor Aarti Bajaj. After getting separated, he then married actor Kalki Koechlin and their marriage ended few years later. Aaliyah is Anurag and Aarti’s daughter.
When Aaliyah asked him how he found himself as a parent, Anurag described himself as a “terrible father” and said that he was more of a friend to his daughter than a father. He then credited Aarti for Aaliyah’s upbringing, and that his ex-wife took on way more than him. Aaliyah also praised her mother and added, “She has been my mom and for a couple of years, she was also my dad.”