What comes to your mind when we say, Anurag Kashyap? Dark, brooding, grungy, wild, intense and also controversial. The filmmaker's stories have managed to not just make the Censor Board squirm in their seats but at times audiences too. That's also because he is one of the bravest directors who did not fall prey to stereotyped and formulaic Bollywood. Despite his debut film Paanch getting shelved, the director never deterred from his genre of movies out of pressure. He made Black Friday which also struggled to get a release but eventually did after many years. No Smoking was a commercial fare with John Abraham, action, an item song, and all the razzmatazz but the grunge was still there. Anurag Kashyap Shares Texts With Sushant Singh Rajput’s Manager from June 14, Says ‘It Feels Horrible to Do This’

But in between all that, Kashyap did a few films that left many of his ardent followers pleasantly surprised. You have to give it to him. He is an unconventional director who likes to experiment. Today on his birthday, let's discuss the movies which are so unlike the Kashyap we know.

Return Of Hanuman (2007)

An animation film at the theatres is a far cry in the Indian context. But Hanuman happened and things changed for the good. Such was the latter's success that a sequel was launched and Kashyap helmed it. The movie was much different from the original as it was set in contemporary times. It didn't really get the same response as the prequel and Kashyap had a theory for that. He told DNA, "In early 2007, I wrote the script for Hanuman Returns and submitted it to the producers, who felt that I was the best man to direct it. I was very excited to helm an animation film. It came a week after Taare Zameen Par and Welcome and was washed away in the craze of the other two films."

Dev D (2009)

Nobody could have seen the Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay classic in that light apart from him. He included the MMS scandal in the milieu to give it a modern-day spin and did not make a hero out of the hero. Even the ending is smart and different. The novel was altered by Abhay Deol and together with Kashyap, Dev D comes across a plausible and rational conclusion to the tale of Devdas.

Bombay Talkies - Murabba (2013)

A story of a fan of Amitabh Bachchan who waits outside his house to gift him a jar of special Murabba (a dessert). Again, imagining Kashyap doing a movie that is devoid of acute edginess or stark sequences. It was a story of hope, faith and love for a superstar.

Bombay Velvet (2015)

Memes on BV are more popular than the movie but you cannot discount the fact that Kashyap got out of his comfort zone to make a big-budget potboiler. He had a superstar Ranbir Kapoor in the lead with the successful Anushka Sharma and a Rs 150 crore budget. But it flopped miserably with many recommending the director to stick to his own path. But again, Kashyap attempted something different.

Manmarziyaan (2018)

A love story, yes, Anurag Kashyap directed an out and out love story with a love triangle. However, since it's a Kashyap production, the storyline was neither frivolous nor convenient. It explored the deeper meaning of being in love and being in love with the idea of love. A fascinating movie!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 10, 2020 10:50 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).