- Anurag Kashyap's Netflix series Maximum City was cancelled after years of development
- He suffered a heart attack and health issues following the project's cancellation
- Kashyap sought therapy and rehab to recover from his mental and physical struggles
Anurag Kashyap recently opened up about how shattered he was when his magnum opus, Maximum City, which he had been developing since 2009, was cancelled out of the blue by Netflix. The series was based on Suketu Mehta's 2004 book Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found.
What's Happening
- In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Anurag Kashyap said, "I was frustrated over Maximum City because the amount of investment in it was so much."
- He continued, "I have been attached to Maximum City since 2009. It was greenlit by Netflix. I told them, 'Please read the book.' Nobody except one person on the team read the book. There was silence for one-and-a-half years, and no one came and told me 'it's not happening.' That was even more triggering."
- Speaking of how it impacted him mentally and physically, Anurag Kashyap revealed, "In that grieving, I had a heart attack. I was on blood thinners. A vaccine reacted badly. I got asthma, so I was on steroids. My mind was buzzing, and I started drinking and ordering from Zomato all the time. My drinking got very bad."
- Furthermore, he added, "I went to rehab to fix myself-and I fixed myself."
- However, things got worse because he injured his leg but could not get surgery done as he was on blood thinners.
- He recalled how this episode turned into a personal tragedy. He realised that he was grieving after he went to therapy. He said, "When you invest so much time, it becomes your baby. It was a miscarriage."
How Zoya Akhtar Helped Him Return To Work
Anurag Kashyap then went on to share how Zoya Akhtar got him back to work.
He shared, "Luckily, (Director) Zoya Akhtar called me. She said, 'Will you play yourself in Made in Heaven?'" Initially reluctant due to his health, Kashyap replied, "'I'm lying in bed, my leg is gone, I'm in a wheelchair.'"
She told him, "We'll put the wheelchair in the scene."
"That's how I got out of my room," concluded Anurag Kashyap.
On the work front, Anurag Kashyap's Kennedy, led by Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone, is set to premiere on Zee5 on February 20, 2025.