EXCLUSIVE: Producer Tutu Sharma confirms that Anurag Kashyap’s CONTROVERSIAL directorial debut Paanch to FINALLY release in cinemas in 2025

Anurag Kashyap brought in a new wave of cinema and earned a sizable fan following due to his films like Black Friday (2007), No Smoking (2007), Dev D (2009), Gulaal (2009), Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012) etc. Sadly, his debut directorial Paanch never saw the light of day. The film faced objections from the Central Board of Film Certification and faced numerous other challenges. But now, all those waiting to see Paanch for more than two decades, have a reason to rejoice. The dark thriller is all set to release in the first half of 2025.

Producer Tutu Sharma confirmed this development during an exclusive interaction with Bollywood Hungama. He has ventured into the exhibition sector with the cinema chain Citara. When asked about his upcoming films, he said, “I am working on a couple of subjects, including the biopic of Madhubala. I have the rights to the book (‘Madhubala: Dard Ka Rishta’ by Sushila Kumari). There are some other scripts in the pipeline as well.”

2024 is the year of re-releases and also old films, stuck for years, finally getting their due, as it happened with Ajay Devgn-starrer Naam recently. When asked if Paanch, produced by him, can ever get a release in cinemas, Tutu Sharma said, “Paanch is definitely coming next year. I plan to release it in cinemas within six months. The film was banned and the negatives have slightly deteriorated. The process of restoring them has already started. As soon as it’s ready, we’ll release Paanch.”

When asked about the CBFC issues, he replied, “The issues were resolved. But then we faced some more challenges and hence, the film was lying on the cans. Also, the trend of re-runs is here now. So, one can imagine the potential of Paanch. That’s a very encouraging sign. Also, the times are such that such films are being watched and they have an audience.”

Paanch is expected to have one of the best performances by Kay Kay Menon, as per those who have seen it. Tutu Sharma added, “Not just Kay Kay Menon but even Tejaswini Kolhapure is brilliant in the film. According to me, it is Anurag Kashyap’s best film to date. Many people believe that. You’ll agree with me once you see it (smiles).”

Paanch also stars Aditya Srivastava, Vijay Maurya, Joy Fernandes, Sharat Saxena and Vijay Raaz. The music of the film is composed by Vishal Bhardwaj.

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