I went into rehab three times: Anurag Kashyap discusses dark phase in life

Gangs of Wasseypur director said that he went into severe depression but did not stop working

Indian filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, in a recent interview with The Indian Express, spoke about a time in his life when he went through a dark phase and had to take steps to turn things around by going to rehab three times. Kashyap was speaking on the sidelines of Morocco's Marrakech International Film Festival where his latest film Almost Love With DJ Mohabbat was screening. He spoke about how he coped with depression for more than three years and now, is finally back to tell more stories.

The Gangs of Wasseypur director told the publication about how he went into severe depression but did not stop working. He said that he chose to keep working even when he was going through a very low point in his life. Kashyap said that he got off Twitter because of all the negativity on the site.

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"This was the time I went off Twitter because my daughter started getting trolled, getting rape threats and she started getting anxiety attacks," Kashyap said. "So, I went off Twitter in August 2019 and I went to Portugal. I was shooting this in London and then, when the whole Jamia Millia thing happened, I came back to India. I was like, 'Yeh mujh se bardaaasht nahin ho raha hai, koi kuchh bol nahin raha hai' (I can’t bear it, no one is speaking up). I started speaking (on Twitter) again."

The filmmaker was at the forefront of the movement against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and went to Jamia Millia Islamia University to take part in anti-CAA protests.

Kashyap said he deleted his official Twitter account in 2019 due to threats made to his parents and daughter. He has been one of the most vocal Bollywood celebrities on social media. At the time, Kashyap said that he would rather leave if he was not free to speak his mind on the platform. "When your parents start to get calls and your daughter gets online threats, you know that no one wants to talk," Kashyap tweeted three years ago. "There isn't going to be reason or rationale. Thugs will rule and thuggery will be the new way of life. Congratulations everyone on this new India and hope you all thrive. Wish you all the happiness and success. This would be my last tweet as I leave Twitter. When I won't be allowed to speak my mind without fear, then I would rather not speak at all. Goodbye."

Kashyap revealed to IE that he had a major scare when he suffered a heart attack and his health deteriorated. The filmmaker, however, managed to recuperate and returned to films. "Unlike other people, I don’t have the luxury to sit and wait," he said.

The director underwent an angioplasty last year.