Anurag Kashyap elated to be in panel headed by Martin Scorsese

It was a day of extreme joy and self satisfaction when filmmaker Anurag Kashyap came face-to-face with the legendary Martin Scorsese at the recently 13th edition Marrakech International Film Festival that ended on 7 December. Incidentally, Kashyap was in the panel of judges led by Scorsese. Kashyap, the only jury member from India, has been a Scorsese fan all his life and he earlier thanked the festival coordinators and Morocco, the country which hosts it by exclaiming, “I've shot two films in Morocco and I have an eternal feeling of gratitude towards this country, its people and the royal family for having allowed me to make these movies.” If one sees Kashyap’s films with that angle, a direct influence of Scorsese can be seen in his films in terms of their gritty but slick cinematography, the use of haunting rock music in violent or emotional scenes, characters who are doomed with existential crisis. Early this year, Scorsese sent a letter of appreciation to Kashyap after watching Gangs of Wasseypur that left the noted filmmaker on cloud nine. Other members of the jury headed by Scorsese include Juliette Binoche, Marion Cotillard and Sharon Stone.