Q&A WITH ANIRUDH IYER

The Angry Young Man is dead and so is the relatable action hero; almost superherolike, the action heroes of today are not antiestablishment but above the establishment. Debutant filmmaker Anirudh Iyer, decodes the anatomy of his film, An Action Hero

- Ananya Ghosh

Anirudh lyer made his directorial debut with An Action Hero last month. Frontlined by the unlikely pair of Ayushmann Khurrana and Jaideep Ahlawat, this meta-movie follows superstar Maanav (Khurrana) as he tries to escape from a raging municipal councillor Bhoora (Ahlawat), who thinks the superstar has killed his brother and wants revenge. It's a biting and hilarious commentary on the relationship between film stars, and the media and fans, which has become increasingly toxic over the past few years. "We wanted to put a mirror and show society what is happening. And we wanted to do it without any bias or malice. The intention was to not offend or attack anyone but at the same time, tell the story as honestly and fearlessly as possible. That is why we chose humour," says the newly minted Bollywood filmmaker.

For the lyer boy, who hails from a humble South Indian family in Mulund, this was always the dream. "Very early on, I cracked this thing that someone is making what we are seeing on television. I would go behind the television set and wonder how what is happening inside that magic box is actually happening. I had decided very early on in my life that I want to make these movies. I was fascinated by the idea. One of the first movies that really made me make that decision was Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge," he reveals.