Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has reacted coolly to the controversy surrounding his name appearing in the Epstein Files, making it clear that the claims do not bother him. He went on to dismiss the mention as nothing more than a “random mail”.
Anurag on the name emerging in the Epstein Files
Recently, Anurag joined an episode of Sit with Hitlist where he spoke about various aspects of his career and life. During the candid conversation, he also addressed some of the controversies linked to his name, including references in the Epstein Files and the Income Tax raid conducted at his residence.
Asked about his name being mentioned in the controversial Epstein Files, he mentioned, “In a mail. In a random mail… We get invitations from Harvard, Yale, everywhere. I don’t know. I have never been to Beijing. I have been to Shanghai in China once before 2014, I played recce in Bombay.”
He went on to joke that he sometimes thinks to himself, “Wow! What a company I have.”
When questioned about the IT raid at his house in 2021, Anurag mentioned that it had more to do with his then-production banner, Phantom Films.
“It had more to do with Phantom Films, because we got out and we split, and the valuation. What was there? What wasn’t there? Who has it? Who doesn’t have it? All that kind of thing happened,” Anurag said.
In 2018, Vikramaditya Motwane, Anurag, Madhu Mantena, and Vikas Bahl’s Phantom Films was dissolved after the directors called it quits after seven years of partnership, agreements, and disagreements. Founded in 2011, Phantom Films produced many Bollywood films such as Queen, Masaan, Lootera, and Udta Punjab.
About Epstein Files
Last month, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) released a list of roughly 300 politicians, business leaders and public figures whose names appear in records tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The disclosure follows assurances to Congress that documents related to the case would be made public under transparency requirements.
The list includes current and former political leaders, celebrities, and business figures. Among those referenced are Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Bill Gates, Prince Harry, Woody Allen, Kamala Harris, Mark Zuckerberg, Bruce Springsteen, Elon Musk, Pope John Paul II, Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries and Beyoncé, among others.
Financier Jeffrey Epstein was accused of sex trafficking and abusing underage girls. Epstein reportedly killed himself in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on sex abuse charges of his own.
About Anurag Kashyap
Anurag is known for his work on films such as Satya, which he wrote, as well as Black Friday, Dev D, and Mukkabaz. He is also the man behind Gangs of Wasseypur, which has attained cult status among film buffs. His last directorial to be released was Kennedy. It took nearly three years for him to get a wide release in India for his film. After being screened at the MAMI Film Festival in 2023, the noir thriller was finally released on Zee5 on February 20, 2026. Kennedy is a thriller with Rahul Bhat in the titular role, alongside Sunny Leone. The film follows a cop who is presumed dead and now works as a hitman for a corrupt senior police officer.
