When Anurag Kashyap returned from London on Thursday night, little did he know what the Mumbai airport customs had in store for him
When Anurag Kashyap returned from London on Thursday night, little did he know what the Mumbai airport customs had in store for him.
Red channel rut
The Dev D director recalls the 36-hour nightmare that followed. "As usual I had returned laden with DVDs of new filmsu00a0-- all legally purchased. I dutifully went through the red channel and declared the DVDs. They said I'd have to pay duty. I had been bringing back DVDs from England on each trip. This had never happened before. Anyway, I was fine with paying duty. However since I didn't have the money with me I told them I'd return the next morning with the money and left."
Confiscated
Anurag's actual nightmare began on Friday morning when he reached the Mumbai international airport with the duty-money. "They refused to give me back my DVDs! And not just the DVDs, my entire luggage had been confiscated. When I asked them the officers to explain they told me to see the customs commissioner. When I went to him he didn't even acknowledge my presence, just grunted and dismissed me. I was asked to come back after a couple of days."
Kafkaesque crisis
Shocked, bewildered and humiliated Anurag was tempted to pull rank. "I had never before used my name or my influential friends' names to get work done. But this was a very Kafkaesque crisis. I had no idea why my luggage was confiscated."
Anurag decided to contactu00a0 a couple of friends. On Friday evening his luggage was retrieved.
Likh ke do!
"But only after I gave a written undertaking that each and every one of the 65 DVDs I had brought back from London was nether pirated nor pornographic. Can you imagine, would I bring back porno and pirated stuff? Have these people lately checked the DVD libraries in Mumbai?"
Illegal?
Anurag was only too happy to get back his precious DVDs. "I live and die for my DVDs. They are the only valuable possessions I have. But since when has it become illegal to bring DVDs from abroad when they are legitimately purchased and I'm happy to pay the duty?"
Disgruntled
Though he's disgruntled with the way the Commissioner behaved, the director gives a clean chit to the other officials atu00a0 the airport. "They were doing their job politely. Butu00a0 what was theu00a0 need to harass me when I had done nothing unconventional?"
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