"I was trying so hard to push it away."
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has opened up about his nearly decade-long relationship with Shubhra Shetty.
The filmmaker and Shubhra spoke together with Janice Sequeira about their relationship, the scrutiny they have faced and their future plans.
When asked about the possibility of marriage, Anurag revealed that Shubhra does not believe in the institution of marriage at all.
He said: “I’m very happy to be with her. I want to be with her. So, whatever that takes.
“There’s a lot in life. What is an old man’s insecurity?
“I want to be healthy enough to outlive the people I love.
“Because if it doesn’t happen, then what can happen after that?
“The ways of the world. So, I think about it a lot.
“But my thing is, as long as we have found what we have found now, I’m happy with anything.
“I don’t want to lose this.”
His words painted a picture of a man deeply at peace with the love and companionship he has found later in his life.
Shubhra also shared a touching anecdote about a moment early in their relationship that revealed just how profoundly she had changed Anurag.
She recalled telling him during their honeymoon phase that being in love was on her bucket list and that she could happily die after experiencing it.
The casual remark made Anurag emotional, and he teared up, sharing with her what that moment of love had meant to him personally.
He told her that before meeting her, he had never been afraid of dying and did not care if he got into a car accident.
He said that for the very first time in his life, he had found something genuinely worth living for and therefore did not want to die.
Shubhra described his response as the sweetest way she had ever heard anyone look at their relationship.
The couple also addressed the age difference between them and the public scrutiny and age-shaming they have encountered.
Anurag acknowledged that they have navigated their “share of troubles” but noted that the age-shaming no longer follows them as it once did.
“We’ve had our moments. We have been self-conscious. I’ve been more conscious.
“And not just more conscious, at one point, I became so conscious, I was trying so hard to push it away.
“There was a point because her face doesn’t show her age.
“She still looks the same. She doesn’t look her age.”
“So the thing is, the more I grew older and she kept looking the same, that’s when I became slightly conscious.”
While Anurag is 53 years old, Shubhra revealed during the conversation that she is currently in her 30s.
Their age gap has been a subject of public commentary over the years.
However, the couple have clearly developed a grounded understanding of their dynamic.
Shubhra Shetty previously worked as an assistant director at Anurag’s production company Phantom Films before their relationship.
Anurag Kashyap was first photographed with Shubhra back in 2015, though he did not publicly acknowledge the relationship until a 2018 interview.
Their nearly decade-long relationship has now become one of Bollywood’s more quietly enduring and genuinely affectionate partnerships.
