Indian filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri has criticised the Indian National Congress and Bollywood in a recent session titled "The Local is Global: Telling Indian Tales", calling the Congress from 2011 to 2014 "corrupt, arrogant, debauched, totally indifferent, greedy and ready to sell Indian interests". He went on to say that Bollywood today is similarly disconnected from Indian culture and society. He said this while speaking at the 11th edition of The New Indian Express' ThinkEdu Conclave 2023 in Chennai on Thursday, February 9.
Agnihotri also discussed his film "The Kashmir Files," claiming that it has sparked a national conversation on the issue and that in a few years, people will understand its contribution to India's social-political relevance. He expressed his support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and explained his decision to support him in 2014 after research showed him to be a modern leader who wants India to grow and develop.
Talking about Bollywood, he said that all the top 10 stars, directors, and producers do not represent Indian ethos, culture or society, which is why he felt he did not belong there. He said that every word and every pore of his body exudes Indian culture, thoughts and philosophy.
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Discussing his film "The Kashmir Files," Agnihotri stated, "Many policymakers across the globe have been made aware of the Kashmir issue only through his film. A lot of people were aware but they used to think that Kashmir is not an Indian land and that we have illegally occupied it because that is what the propaganda has been for so many years. And when the news of killings used to come people used to believe that Indian armies were killing Muslims in Kashmir and only after seeing the film did they for the first time get to know that there were people from other communities also who lived in Kashmir."
Agnihotri mentioned that Kashmir is being debated almost every second day now because of the film. He added, "Even one killing in Kashmir becomes national news which is a very big thing for a film to achieve. No other film in recent history has been able to create so much conversation around a theme."
He added, "Mark my words, not today, but after a few years on, maybe when I'm not around, people will understand the value of a jury chairman to come on stage and call this propaganda. And after a few years, you will understand the contribution of The Kashmir Files in India's social-political relevance and you will understand how many enemies of India we have busted and exposed."The director then discussed his support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014.
He claimed that he initially received a letter signed by Aamir Khan and others in the industry warning him against voting for Modi, who they referred to as a "fascist and dictator". “We are disruptors, we have disrupted Bollywood," he said. He also added that there is nothing wrong with a Prime Minister supporting a filmmaker, as past Prime Ministers such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi have also supported filmmakers and cinema.
