We’ve learnt to expect the unexpected from Anurag Kashyap. Even then, the filmmaker surprised us by casting Bobby Deol, a star as mainstream as they come, in Bandar (Monkey in a Cage). When Kashyap sits down with us days after the movie’s première at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), he says that Deol was the perfect choice to lead the story of an ageing television star, whose life changes overnight when he is accused of rape by his ex-girlfriend after he cuts off all ties with her.

“The story is of a has-been. The actor had to be my age as my generation has not transitioned well to the social media age. Bobby understands what failure means. He has seen his career fade away and then he found his way back,” says Kashyap.

Through Bandar, the director has explored the grey areas of #MeToo accusations, the fine line between right and wrong, and questioned the treatment of inmates in Indian prisons. When Kashyap narrated the film to Deol, he immediately wanted to play the complex role. What the actor told him about his struggle has remained with the filmmaker even today.

“Bobby said that if he’d pass by a house where a shoot was happening, he would cry or get angry wondering why nobody was asking him to act in that film. He told me, ‘At 40, somebody told me I needed to do an acting workshop. Then I played the most disgusting person I know in Aashram. That’s when I realized it’s liberating to play characters and not always the hero.’ Bobby was perfect for this role because he understood all that. I could identify with Bobby because I have been written off many times,” shares the director before praising his leading man for being “emotionally bare” in the film.

Owing to its theme, Bandar has created ripples at TIFF. Kashyap isn’t surprised, knowing well that his recent work is “polarizing and hard-hitting”.

He reasons, “It’s a conversation starter. That’s why it has been impactful. Bandar has been the most difficult movie to make emotionally because it’s a film about things in the past when there was no social media. We’re dealing with an emotional subject. We’re asking questions. I didn’t share the script with any actor because I was also in the process of finding my film.”

To Kashyap, Bandar is a film about making mistakes, and more importantly, “being called out for it”. The director elaborates, “We were given a second chance to redeem ourselves. Today, it is [the age of] cancel culture. The world doesn’t give anybody a chance to redeem themselves. Everything will go viral! We are in an age where we need to start having conversations.”

It hasn’t been 10 days into the month, yet Saba Azad knows that September has given her the year’s most cherished memory. On September 6, the actor took in every moment as Anurag Kashyap’s Bandar (Monkey In A Cage) — which features her alongside Bobby Deol and Sanya Malhotra — premièred at the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). “It’s a dream to be here, not only because our film is having its première, but also because everyone here is united by the love of cinema,” she said to mid-day, hours before the premiere.

A festival favourite, Kashyap, this time, tells the story of Deol’s television star who is accused of rape by his ex-girlfriend after he cuts off all ties with her. Through Bandar, the filmmaker not only looks at the grey areas of #MeToo accusations, but also examines India’s prison system.

When we asked Azad how it was to be directed by Kashyap, she answered in a heartbeat. “Working with Anurag feels like freedom,” she said, before adding, “It’s liberating to work with a director who has faith in his casting choices. So, he leaves his actors to their devices — he will set up the scene in a way such that [we] have the room to react and improvise, not just repeat dialogues and mirror spoon-fed emotions. Anurag treats the script like a map, not the ultimate truth.”

Bandar’s world première comes days after the Prime Video release of Songs Of Paradise, a biopic led by Azad. The two back-to-back talked-about projects have brought the actor a sense of validation that had eluded her 17-year career so far.

“It has taken me a while to get here. It feels like I’m starting afresh. To be able to do roles that employ your abilities as an actor has been the dream, and for your work to be noticed is a blessing. I hope to be able to keep doing cinema that stays with you long after you watch it.”