Movies reflect the phase you are in: Metro... In Dino director Anurag Basu

Filmmaker Anurag Basu says his growth as a storyteller mirrors the evolution he has witnessed in his personal life where women have been a major source of inspiration.

Anurag Basu opens up on working in Metro... In Dino

Over a career spanning more than two decades, Anurag has established himself as a versatile director, exploring various genres ranging from the erotic thriller Murder and the romantic crime drama Gangster to deeply moving stories like Barfi! and Kites, and even ensemble anthologies such as Life in a... Metro and Ludo.

“Movies reflect the phase you are going through in your life. Initially, my films were a little erotic when I was young. After that, I grew older, had a family, matured, and then began to understand the depth of relationships in a much better way. Those depths then began to be reflected in films,” Anurag said in an interview.

“I seek inspiration from everybody, from all the women in my life, like the women who raised me, who loved me, and those who outsmarted me. So, all the stories came from there,” he said.

Anurag received critical acclaim for his 2007 movie Life in a… Metro, an anthology exploring stories of love, ambition, and heartbreak in the fast-paced urban landscape of Mumbai. He is now coming out with the movie's follow-up Metro…In Dino, which follows the bittersweet relationships of four couples in four different cities.

The director said when he made Life in a... Metro, he thought of it as a standalone movie as he had no storyline for a follow-up. “While making Ludo, this idea came to me. Before that, I attempted once or twice to write the film, but it didn't happen. But this time, it came along," he said.

Metro…In Dino is part of Anurag's hyperlink trilogy, which began with Life in a...Metro in 2007 and continued with Ludo in 2020. All three movies weave together interrelated tales that encapsulate the diversity of love.

“Now the trilogy is complete, and I don't want to do it again. I don't want to do a hyperlink film. I don't want to do it for the next 2-3 films,” the 55-year-old director explained. While writing interlinked stories is a big challenge, shooting the movie was a lot of fun, Anurag added.

“We have to write four stories, which is equal to writing four films. The audience will see it from the perspective of four stories. For me, it's a movie, and it should have a graph of up and down and everything. In Ludo, you felt like you were watching one movie.

Metro…In Dino is set for release in theatres on July 4.

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