When sitting down to watch an Anurag Kashyap film, one can be assured of novelty. Even though his upcoming film Dobaaraa is an adaptation of the Spanish movie, Mirage (2018), we won’t be surprised if there’s a classic Kashyap twist to the narrative. The director, too, hints at it as he begins, “I won’t say that we have remade a film; we have adapted a script. If you compare [the two films], you will see a massive difference in the characters and writing.”

With the Taapsee Pannu and Pavail Gulati-starrer, the filmmaker explores the subject of time travel. Teaming up with Pannu after Manmarziyaan (2018) and Saand Ki Aankh (2019) is a delight, he says. “I have an amazing friendship with her. If she is feeling something, she will say it upfront. Many people in the crew might find it difficult [to work with her] because she is straight-forward and doesn’t pretend to be polite. But five minutes after the fight, she will be normal. So, working with her is easy.”

In the run-up to the film’s August 19 release, Kashyap and Pannu have been joking that their film should be boycotted, thus mocking certain groups’ tendency to boycott films and actors. The latest films to be targeted are Laal Singh Chaddha and Raksha Bandhan.

“It’s a narrative being created around Hindi cinema because they want to control the Hindi belt. People have bought into the narrative and are not talking about the real problem. I was boycotted ever since I came to the industry. It’s affecting those whose films make Rs 200-300 crores. My movies have never crossed Rs 32 crores. So, I have always struggled to find theatres and release my films. I don’t even need trolls to do it,” he laughs.