Anurag Basu

Some Lesser Known Facts About Anurag Basu

• Does Anurag Basu smoke: Not Known

• Does Anurag Basu drink alcohol: Not Known

• Both his parents were a renowned face in the field of theater. In fact, his father even owned a theater company by the name of ‘Abhiyaan’.

• As a teen, Basu dreamt of becoming a cameraman. For this purpose, he wished to apply for a course in Camera & Direction at the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. However, during his second year of college in Mumbai, he was selected as a background dancer in the 1993 film- Dalal.

• His first stint as an assistant director came with the TV show- Tara (1993). Fortunately, within a few months, he was chosen as the director of the show. Notably, Tara was one of the longest running shows in the 1990’s.

• He then went on to direct a number of TV shows primarily for Zee TV & Sony. While climbing the steps of success, he met TV & Film Producer Ekta Kapoor. The latter was so impressed by the director’s vision that she even offered him to make pilot (standalone) episodes for her then popular TV shows- Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki, Kyuki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kasauti Zindagi Kay.

• Slowly and steadily, he himself began his own production house in 2002.

• Out of the 9 Hindi movies, Basu has directed so far, 4 have been produced by the “Bhatt camp.”

• Just when he was expecting his first child, Basu was diagnosed with leukemia (blood cancer). After months of chemotherapy, Basu was miraculously saved, as his chances of survival were a mere 20%, according to doctors. Owing to this rough phase, Basu missed out on a number of films.

• In an interview, Basu revealed a peculiar incident, because of which he thinks that he is the reason for his father’s death. He said, “I was writing a death scene in a television serial and imagined how it would be if my dad died. That night, I went into his room, hugged him and came back. Shortly after I had written that scene he had a heart attack and died.”

• He even hosted a Bengali Celebrity talk show by the name of “Ke Hobe Biggest Fan.”

• His 2012 movie, Barfi!, was not only the third-highest grossing film of the year but also India’s official entry into the Academy Awards. However, owing to the plagiarizing allegations, Barfi’s nomination for the Oscars became a matter of debate.