Anurag Kashyap's Men: Fury, Fear, Fate

The haunting lyrics of the song Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaye Toh Kya Hai by Mohammed Rafi for Pyaasa( 1970) are almost eerily prophetic. In the final moments of the film, Guru Dutt, the director-protagonist of the film, painfully sings the lines to echo the existential crisis of human beings:

Zalado Isse Phoonk Daalo Yeh Duniya,

(Burn it down, blow it up, this world)

Mere Samane Se Hata Lo Yeh Duniya,

(Remove this world from my sight)

Tumhari Hai Tum Hi Sambhalo Yeh Duniya,

(It's yours, you take care of this world)

Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaye Toh Kya Hai

(Even if I were to have it all, so what)

For Anurag Kashyap, the profoundness of the song and that of Haye Re Duniya by Sahir Ludhianvi inspired the themes of his films Gulaal (2009) and Dev. D (2009) both of which mark their 16th anniversary this year. Rooted in the socio-political realities of contemporary India, these films explore the masculine anxieties against the struggle over power, identity politics, and the rise of new Indian woman tropes.

Often exposing the fault lines of masculinity, especially the hypermasculine figures, Kashyap explores student activism against feudal mentality in Rajasthan in Gulaal. While Dev.D deconstructs Dutt's tragic hero through the use of privilege and self-indulgence as a mise-en-scene to present the protagonist. Both movies offer cautionary tales of masculinity defined by ego rather than emotional intelligence.

The director, who recently announced his exit from Hindi cinema, through his filmography has always defied the codes of conduct of patriarchy, and discussed the agency that ultimately limits the egotist, neurotic hero who is almost always aggressive towards women. As audience you see the skewed social realities of contemporary India through Kashyap's lens and the male characters having to earn their redemption by confronting their toxic masculinity.

From violent gangsters, police officers, lovers, and students, here are 8 picks from Anurag Kashyap's films that go beyond the rigid ideas of modern masculinity that ultimately gets undone:

Dilip Singh (Gulaal, 2009)

Played by Raj Singh Chaudhary, who also pitched the story idea to Kashyap for Gulaal, Dilip Singh doesn't start out as hyper-masculine Rajput. He is submissive, easy to be targeted by rowdy bullies, and resists being violent. His character in the film depicts how masculinity can be weaponised as he becomes a tragic, radicalised hero by the end of the film.

Raman and Raghva (Raman Raghav 2.0, 2016)

Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Raman and Raghav played by Vicky Kaushal are characters from the film Raman Raghav 2.0 who depict the moral decay in the contemporary world. Raman is unfiltered as a man, whereas Raghav is coke-snorting, troubled, rage-filled police officer with self-loathing display of masculinity.

Dev (Dev.D, 2009)

Dev played by Abhay Deol is a self-indulgent, self-destructive, and alcoholic protagonist of the film. His manliness is rooted in privilege. As an arrogant brat who dismantles the romanticised character of Devdas, Kashyap's Dev meets his downfall because of his own flaws rather than fate.

K (No Smoking, 2007)

An assertive male, K (John Abraham) who comes from a wealthy background is stripped of his wealth. Rather than using his physical abilities to dictate the people around him to gain the luxury of life back, K depicts the disconcerting paradox of manhood. At his core, he is extremely vulnerable and profoundly emotional. However, he doesn't express it. Instead, it's the modern male bravado as an ideal characteristic of men that takes the centre stage.

Faizal Khan and Sardar Khan (Gangs of Wassepur, 2012)

Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Faizal Khan and Manoj Bajpayee as Sardar Khan, (Faizal's father) are two different sides of masculinity that embody toxic traits and violent behaviours. While Sardar Khan is the archetypal alpha masculine brute, who loves to command fear in others, his strength is more performative than real which leads to his tragic end.

On the other hand, his son, Faizal Khan's introduction to the world of vengeance and violence is different. He is more reluctant, experiences the aftermath of his father's actions passively, but is unable to get too far away from the ruthless violence spewed by the legacy of his forefathers. In the end, he goes after the pursuit of power driven by vengeance leading to the inevitable tragedy and destruction. Both are paradoxes of toxic masculinity.

Shravan Kumar (Mukkabaaz, 2017)

Shravan Kumar is a lower-caste boxer who fights for his dignity more than his sporting success. Although his stature is built for physical fights, Shravan by Vineet Kumar Singh, battles against the institutionalised power symbolised by the upper caste boxers in the film and is circles around his need to survival the ropes of casteism.