From directing typical Bollywood tropes like ‘Chocolate’, ‘Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal’ and ‘Hate Story’ to declaring himself ‘out of the Bollywood tribe’, Vivek Agnihotri’s meteoric rise has been It was amazing.
Today, his films have few celebrities and are made on relatively small budgets, but more importantly, they are ultra-nationalist on topics he believes are under-discussed. It’s about having a story.
In an era when big name and budget movies fail, his project ‘Kashmir Files’ made a huge fortune at the box office this year.
The outspoken director, widely known for his disdain for “liberals,” sat down with DH for a wide-ranging conversation about movies, politics, propaganda, and more. excerpt:
How do you see the success of ‘Kashmir Files’?
In the modern world, we measure success at the box office. But I have never failed in my life. The success for me was that many people agreed with the sentiment of the film. Also, the families of Kashmir Pandit victims are beginning to feel their voices being heard, and they are healing after the film.
What’s your next project?
My next film is about India’s ‘great achievements’, after which I am making ‘The Delhi Files’. Released in 2024.
Your opinion on the ‘boycott of Bollywood’ trend.
This is a complex issue, and calling for a boycott is fundamentally a personal matter. The ‘boycott of Bollywood’ campaign feels very good because it shows people’s dissatisfaction with the kind of films that Bollywood is producing, and the end result is very positive.
These campaigns are not necessarily the result of people’s dissatisfaction with the “content” of the film. Bollywood movies are seen as a factor of ‘unification’, so there is also a systematic attack by right-wing institutions to create further divisions among the people.
I do not think so. It’s a cultural uprising against Bollywood rather than a political one. But when there is conflict, politicians take advantage of it. Let’s assume your theory is correct that the right-wing machine is boycotting Bollywood. Take Aamir Khan’s “Laal Singh Chaddha” for example. Narendra Modi received 40% of the vote. Where are the rest of his 60% viewers and why don’t they watch Aamir’s movies, that all Aamir fans become Modi fans?
Kashmiri Muslims, Bengalis and South Indians have problems with Bollywood because of their bad representation. I’m here. Unlike South Indian movie stars, the Bollywood star has no human connection and behaves as if he were a “god”. South India, Marathi, Bengali, Odia and other cinematic subjects resonate with the masses.
Aren’t you part of Bollywood?
No, it’s not.
So how would you define Bollywood and the industry you belong to?
Bollywood are those who call themselves Bollywood. It’s the idea of using all the tried and tested formulas, repackaging them, and selling them to people. Making Hindi movies is not necessarily part of Bollywood.Bollywood thinking applies to other industries as well.
The line between art and politics is blurred. Nations are always using art to spread their message. how do you see this?
The state has never sponsored my work, and I would never spread the idea that the state wants to spread unless the country is in crisis. There is none.
In a globalized world, soft power is important and cinema, as part of soft power, should reflect your own reality and culture. has been used to spread This is important because societies are diverse and need to be held together by some sort of cultural glue.
Do you think cinema should strike a fine balance between art and politics to avoid becoming a propaganda film?
Who decides? We are not patrons of art. I believe in absolute freedom of expression.
How do you answer the argument that ‘The Kashmir Files’ is a propaganda film for right-wing politics in India?
Very few people would call this a propaganda movie. My film does not support Narendra Modi, BJP, right wing and the government does not fund my film. Has anyone called ‘Haider’, ‘Mission Kashmir’, ‘Fanaar’ and other films that justify terrorism propaganda films?
Propaganda movies are not a 350 million business and have historically never worked. My film is based on interviews with victims, and those who call it propaganda have no empathy for them. Those who support Naxal and terrorists, and professional critics who call everything that comes out of the right wing propaganda, call it propaganda.
However, the entire BJP machinery was behind the “Kashmir File”. Some BJP-controlled states have made it tax exempt. Even the prime minister had nice words about the movie…
The Prime Minister did not praise the film. He only asked the detractors to watch the film before criticizing it. In fact, he started promoting the film in November 2021 in America. We were promoting the film ever since. The film was a hit in its own right at the time.
Until four days after the theatrical release, not a single person from the BJP or the government had spoken out. When they realized it was a success, they jumped on the success wagon. Before my film, making a film about the plight of the Kashmir Pandits was the norm and nobody did.
Another recent film “Shikara” by Vidhu Vinod Chopra was about the Pandits…
Yes, but what was he trying to say? People rejected the movie. It was a love story and they didn’t even use the word “genocide”.
You are known for your disdain for “liberals” and “lefties.” You coined the term “Urban Naxal”. What was the idea behind this? Did you expect it to be used to cast a bad light on all critics of the government and right-wing politics?
I’m a liberal myself, but I have a problem with people who call themselves liberals.
I used to practice left-wing politics. Gradually, I began to realize and question that just because I was neglected doesn’t mean I have to support Naxal killing innocent people. Manmohan Singh’s government then said in affidavits to the Supreme Court that the biggest threat to India was “urban Maoists”. i picked it up He also said intellectuals, media personnel and people from other sections were providing ideological and logistical support to Naxal.
But the term ‘Urban Naxal’ puts many people’s lives at risk.
This book is about my journey while making the movie Buddha in a Traffic Jam and has given many examples for my discussion. I don’t apologize for the book. I don’t care how it’s used.
Don’t you think there is a difference even among the leftists? Not everyone supports violence, right?
There are no layers in politics. It exists only in intellectual discussion. The goal of far-left politics is to overthrow the government through anti-constitutional means. Most of the violence happening across the country today is the result of far-left politics, and I used to subscribe to it before.Left-wing politics is anti-democracy.
Are you saying that the communist party in India operating under a democratic system is anti-democratic?
Their history is full of violence. I’m talking about far-left politics, not communist ideology. Problems arise when communism becomes naxalism.
The extreme right wing also indulges in violence…
Who is killing people? Who is saying to ‘divide and destroy’ India? Who are the right-wing political terrorists?
