Varun Grover says Sacred Games did not end abruptly, opens up on working with Anurag Kashyap | Exclusive

Varun Grover Pic/AFP

Acclaimed writer and lyricist, Varun Grover is on cloud nine after bagging the BAFTA Breakthrough 2024 for his directorial debut All India Rank. He speaks exclusively to Mid-day about the importance of international recognition in his journey, collaborating with filmmaker Anurag Kashyap multiple times, ending Sacred Games with only two seasons, and more.

Varun Grover on BAFTA Breakthrough

Varun Grover is one of the creative minds who was selected for the BAFTA Breakthrough program this year. Thrilled by the same, he calls it a dream come true. He elaborates, "It is very important for me in my journey because I'm at that stage of my career where I want to tell global stories which are rooted in India and still resonate with the world outside and I'm hoping to use this opportunity to connect with filmmakers around the world."

Varun was selected for his film All India Rank which was pretty much inspired by his journey as an aspiring engineer in the late 90s. He states that working on the film was a bit of revisiting that part of his childhood and questioning the pressures of exams.

The biggest challenge in making the film was doing it without any stars. "I worked with lots of newcomers and we all were very hungry to do something good. I would like to believe it shaped the film in a much, much better cutting-edge way," he adds.

Varun Grover on Sacred Games ending

Varun shot to fame as the writer of the popular web series Sacred Games. Hailed as one of the masterpieces in the world of OTT, it ended with merely two seasons. A lot of questions remain unanswered which left viewers wondering if there was a third season in the works. However, as the makers put an end to the project, Varun asserts that it was not abrupt but just how they wanted it. "We completed the entire book by Vikram Chandra in these two seasons and we ended on an open ending but it was not a cliffhanger. It was an open ending where you can interpret the end," he says.

Varun Grover on working with Anurag Kashyap

Varun is one of the lyricists who has worked with filmmaker Anurag Kashyap on multiple projects. He recalls, "Gangs of Wasseypur was like living a lifetime because I was involved with the film. I started writing the songs in 2010, and the film came out in 2012. It was a two-year process where I learned so many things. I think he (Anurag) is someone who trusts his team deeply and that is something which I really learned from him when I began my career. The kind of trust he showed me, the kind of freedom he gives his team to do their thing, and that pushes you unlike any other. Because you are your own kind of boss and you are responsible for what you do and that ups your game."

Varun Grover's tips for aspiring writers

Varun believes that writer's block is a scam. His advice? "Be nerdy about stuff apart from writing. If you are interested in plants, biology, criminal psychology, whatever, any field and more fields the better. Don't have superficial knowledge of five things, have deep knowledge of one thing."