Anurag Kashap made his debut in the entertainment industry as a screenwriter in the 1998 Hindi-language gangster action crime film āSatya,ā directed by Ram Gopal Varma. The film opened to critical acclaim and was a major box office success. He went on to write films like āShoolā (1999), āKaunā (1999), and āJungā (2000), before making his directorial debut in the 2003 Indian crime thriller film āPaanch.ā Due to the filmās violent theme and depiction of drug use, it wasnāt approved for a theatrical release by the Indian Censor Board. āPaanchā was later cleared by the Censor Board after some cuts, but due to certain complications, the film was never released in theaters or home media. However, the film was screened at various film festivals, including āFilmfest Hamburgā in 2003, and āOsian's Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinemaā in 2005.Ā
After writings dialogs for āYuvaā (2004), āWaterā (2005), āMain Aisa Hi Hoonā (2005), and āMixed Doublesā (2006), Kashyap returned to the directorās chair in the Hindi-language crime film āBlack Fridayā (2007). While the film opened to wide critical acclaim, it was a moderate box office success. That same year, he also directed the Hindi-language meta surrealist mystery psychological thriller film āNo Smokingā which was a box office bomb. Kashyap was also the writer of both films. He went on to direct films like āReturn of Hanumanā (2007), āDev.Dā (2009), and āGulaalā (2009). In 2010, he wrote and produced the Hindi-language coming-of-age drama film āUdaanā for which he won 2 Filmfare Awards (both shared with Vikramaditya Motwane).Ā
In 2012, Kashyap directed the Hindi-language crime action film āGangs of Wasseypur ā Part 1.ā The film earned critical acclaim upon release and was a financial success. That same year, the second installment of the film, āGangs of Wasseypur ā Part 2,ā was also released. Both parts were shot as a single film but due to the excessive length of the movie, it was segregated into two parts. Kashyap was also the writer and producer of the film. He then produced āTalaash: The Answer Lies Withinā (2012), āShahidā (2012), āThe Lunchboxā (2013), āLooteraā (2013), and āShortsā (2013). In 2014, Kashyap produced the Hindi-language comedy-drama film āQueen.ā The film received universal acclaim upon release and was a massive box office success, grossing over ā¹222 crores against a budget of ā¹12 crores.Ā
He next directedĀ āUglyā (2014), āBombay Velvetā (2015), āRaman Raghav 2.0ā (2016), āMukkabaazā (2018), āManmarziyaanā (2018), āGhost Storiesā (2020), and āChokedā (2020). He was last seen in the 2021Ā Hindi-language drama film āBansuri: The Fluteā where he played the role of Sadashiv. He is currently directing the upcoming film āDobaaraa.ā