Vivek Agnihotri is currently the most wanted filmmaker in the country, if not in the universe. Everyone wants to own or disown him or just pull him down for fun or fame.
A viral video now has the people of Bhopal as well as the gay community gunning for the Kashmir Files director.
In the video Vivek says, “I have grown up in Bhopal, but I am not a Bhopali. Because Bhopali has a different connotation. You can ask any Bhopali. I will explain it to you in private. If someone says he is Bhopali, it generally means he is homosexual, a person with Nawabi likings.”
The director now faces police complaints and powerful politicians’ rebukes.
When asked about his comments Vivek told me , “What can I say about an out-of-context manipulated video.”
He agrees there is most definitely a concerted effort to dig up dirt against him. But Vivek is undaunted. “We live in a strange world where anyone who tries to show the truth is brought down. His credentials , his political correctness, even his qualifications as a filmmaker are questioned. I am not listening to the professional haters and abusers , most of whom have not even seen The Kashmir Files. I would rather concentrate on the lakhs who have seen my film and have experienced a life-changing emotion in getting to know what actually happened to a whole community of people while the world turned its face away.”
“There is so much work to be done, so any peaks to conquer, so much prejudice and bigotry to be overcome. Why are we wasting time in manufactured controversies?” Vivek wonders.