PAANCH!

PAANCH!
By: Shradha Sukumaran and Komal Sharma
December 24, 2006 mid day

Anurag Kashyap’s directoral debut should have happened in 1999, but instead, 2007 will be his big year. The scriptwriter will have all five of the movies he’s directed — Paanch, Black Friday, Gulal, No Smoking and Hanuman 2 — releasing next year. “I’m very happy that it’s such diverse work,” says Kashyap, who’s shooting No Smoking now and wrapping the sequel to Hanuman by Diwali.

The oldest of the lot, Paanch, was made in 2000, but got stuck at the censors. “So all of my work in seven years will be out in 2007,” he laughs, which includes the film’s he’s done as writer — Water, Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd, Meridien, Shunya and The Pool.

Black Friday is slated for February 2, No Smoking on May 25 and Hanuman 2 for Diwali, while Paanch and Gulal still need to get a fix. “There isn’t a single film that I feel I shouldn’t have made,” he says, “All of it together work as a showcase — they have their own moods, different milieus and diverse backgrounds. I’m very proud of all of them.”