Vivek Agnihotri has expressed strong disapproval of Shah Rukh Khan’s influence on Bollywood, accusing the superstar of altering the essence of the industry. Despite his admiration for Khan’s charisma, Agnihotri criticized what he sees as Khan’s ‘politics’ within the industry.
Agnihotri acknowledged Shah Rukh Khan’s immense popularity but raised concerns about the direction he believes Khan has led Bollywood towards. According to Agnihotri, Khan’s approach has shifted the focus of the industry to ‘PR, hype, glamour, and stardom,’ taking away from its original creativity.
Agnihotri took issue with Khan’s perceived assumption that the audience lacks understanding, claiming that Khan’s films lack depth and substance. Agnihotri contrasted his own filmmaking philosophy, which aims to create movies for the people, with Khan’s strategy that seems more focused on box office success.
Using cinematic comparisons, Agnihotri likened his complex feelings towards Khan to characters in iconic films like “Shakti” and “Deewar.” He suggested that their differing approaches to filmmaking mirror the contrasting roles of a police officer and a smuggler.
Addressing potential collaboration, Agnihotri mentioned that he would work with Shah Rukh Khan if their creative visions align. However, he highlighted the importance of prioritizing the writer and director in the project, a condition he believes Khan might not agree with due to his superstar status. Agnihotri concluded by emphasizing that those seeking to overshadow his role as the face of a film would not find it possible to collaborate with him.