Anurag Kashyap's "Maximum City" Nightmare: Health Scare After Project Axed

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap recently spoke about a difficult phase in his career that began when a planned web series based on Suketu Mehta’s acclaimed book Maximum City was shelved. He described the experience as deeply upsetting and said it led to serious personal and health challenges.

Kashyap explained that he began developing the project during the COVID-19 lockdown after it had been approved by a streaming platform. He spent nearly two years writing the series, dedicating long hours to the script. Since he prefers writing by hand rather than typing, the process took even more time. According to him, members of the team were aware that the project might not move forward, but no one informed him directly. By the time he realized the show would not happen, he had already invested significant time and emotional energy into it.

He said the situation began with a misunderstanding. When he first discussed the adaptation with executives at the platform, he asked whether they had read Maximum City. They all said they had, but he later felt that many had not actually read the book. Despite that, the project received approval and even some initial funding for preparation. Kashyap wrote a script that stayed very faithful to the book. However, after reviewing the script, the platform eventually decided the project would be too difficult to produce and backed away from it.

The filmmaker noted that he had previously collaborated with the platform on several projects, including Sacred Games, Lust Stories, Choked, Ghost Stories and AK vs AK, and he considered it a creative home at the time. Because of that relationship, he believed the series would definitely be made once it was approved. The eventual cancellation left him devastated.

Kashyap said the stress of the situation had severe consequences for his health. He suffered a heart attack and had to undergo a procedure in which a stent was inserted. He was also placed on blood thinners. Around the same time, he experienced complications after vaccination and developed severe asthma, which required steroid treatment. The combination of physical health issues, medication and emotional stress made it difficult for him to cope, and he admitted that he also began drinking during that period as he struggled with everything happening around him.