Saba Azad opens up about working with Anurag Kashyap in Bandar

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 première.  

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. 

Anurag Kashyap (fourth from left) with the team of ‘Bandar’ at the September 6 première in Toronto. Pics/Instagram

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.”

Anurag Kashyap films that travelled to TIFF in the past:
‘That Girl in Yellow Boots’ 
‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ 
‘Mukkabaaz’
‘Manmarziyaan’