Anurag Kashyap opens up about alcohol addiction, recovery

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap

recently got candid about his personal and professional battles, discussing his struggle with alcoholism, career setbacks, and the difficulties of making it in

Bollywood

as an outsider. Speaking at an event at Annapurna College of Film and Media, he revealed that during one of the most challenging phases of his career, he turned to alcohol and eventually sought treatment at a de-addiction center.
'I was an addict, went to a de-addiction center'
"I was an alcoholic for a brief period. I was an addict and I went to a de-addiction center, after which I discovered new details about my writing process,"

Anurag

shared.
The filmmaker also credited the animated film

The Return of Hanuman

for helping him reconnect with his daughter and reviving his career. "I was separated at that time and had not met my daughter for a year. My way of connecting with her was by making an animated film. The movie saved me," he said.

'Grateful for the seven-year ban'
Looking back at his early years in Bollywood, Anurag acknowledged that the industry was heavily dominated by film families, but he was allowed to work behind the scenes because he posed "no threat" to the power structure. "I didn't ask for credit or money. I was just happy to work. For three years, I ghostwrote and got just three meals a day, but I learned more than anyone could teach me," he recalled.

Despite facing bans and setbacks, the

Gangs of Wasseypur

director expressed gratitude for those obstacles, believing they shaped him into a better filmmaker. "I am so grateful that I was banned for seven years. If I had shown everything in my angry state of mind, I would have been done by 2003. Life has humbled me," he admitted.

A few days ago, Anurag made headlines by announcing that he has moved out of Mumbai, citing his "disappointment" with the industry and how the "joy of filmmaking has been sucked out."