‘Karan Johar, Vidhu Vinod Chopra also have agendas; stars releasing their films on Eid have an agenda': Vivek Agnihotri
Director Vivek Agnihotri is busy making his trilogy 'on truth, on justice, and on life' with The Tashkent Files (2019), The Kashmir Files (2022), and the upcoming Delhi Files: The Bengal Chapter. He agrees that he makes 'agenda-driven' films, but unlike other filmmakers like Karan Johar, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and the late Yash Chopra, his agenda is that of making socio-political films.
'Does Karan Johar not make agenda-driven films? He says family is the biggest thing, is that not an agenda? Yash Chopra ji made films on 'love is everything,' is that not an agenda? I love Karan, he's a wonderful director and producer, I don't have any problem with him. But he's established himself in the world of fashion, everyone in his films is fashionable, that's his life's agenda,' said Agnihotri.
In the podcast on the YouTube channel of Digital Commentary, Agnihotri argued that everyone has an agenda. 'When Vidhu Vinod Chopra ji made Shikara (2020), then he said, 'No, everyone should forget what happened to Kashmiri Pandits. They should hug it out and forgive each other.' That was his agenda. Tell me, who doesn't have an agenda?'
He claimed that if a star (read: Salman Khan) releases his films only on Eid (case in point: Sikandar), that's also an agenda. Agnihotri added that if a star only sings and dances and makes poor films, that's their agenda. He also quoted the examples of cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli whose agenda is to excel in life and on the field, whereas some other cricketers just want to earn by playing in the Indian Premier League, make girlfriends, and get popular on social media.
'It's not like I just make films like these. I talk about this too. My speeches are like this too. Their agenda reflects in every aspect of the life of a person with integrity,' added Agnihotri. 'My parents were freedom fighters. I get how India got its independence. If I'm talking about India's social conscience, am I not making three films on right to truth, right to justice, and right to life? I'm not making any faltu, bakwas films,' added Agnihotri.
He also steered clear of supporting the agenda of the ruling party through his films. 'What's the relation between The Tashkent Files and the ruling party of today? I'm not pro-BJP, they accuse me of being pro-Narendra Modi. In 2014, people asked me to sign a petition to not make Narendra Modi the prime minister. I said, why would I do it? Why would I stop someone before giving them a fair shot? I don't even say I won't watch a particular film. Foolish people do that,' said Agnihotri.
Also Read — Anurag Kashyap was a drunkard who palmed off work to Vikram Motwane': Vivek Agnihotri says it became difficult to deal with filmmaker
'Dharmendra and Sunny Deol were in BJP. Why does no one tell them they're BJP guys? They tell me! I didn't contest elections. Do you think I wasn't offered to? Do you think if I want to go into politics, I won't be able to? But I don't want to go. I just want to make films on politics. If I enter politics, I'd have to speak the party line,' argued Agnihotri.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Aamir Khan says ‘no idea' if Sitaare Zameen Par will work at box office: I'm stressed only action films are working
Actor Aamir Khan is all set to entertain audiences with his upcoming sports comedy-drama Sitaare Zameen Par. However, in an interview with Galatta Plus, Aamir expressed that while he believes the film tells a heartwarming and beautiful story, he is unsure about its fate at the box office. (Also Read: Ranbir Kapoor poses with Sitaare Zameen Par cast as Aamir Khan hosts musical night at home, Sachin Tendulkar attends too) When asked about his instincts for Sitaare Zameen Par, Aamir said, 'When I look at the film today, I think I am quite happy with it. I think what we set out to make, we have made. Will it work at the box office? I have no idea. The fact of the matter is, throughout my career, whenever my film is released, I suddenly become aware. My film is a comedy, but right now only the action is working. When Ghajini came, my film was action, but action wasn't working then. Nobody wants to see action." He added, "My film always releases at a time when it's completely ill-timed. When my comedy film comes out time action films are working. So I am constantly stressed that I don't know right now everyone wants to see action. The last 12 films have been action and blockbusters. So while I believe that it's a very heartwarming and beautiful story which will connect very deeply with people, that's what I am hoping. But right now everyone wants to see action films." He further added that the film will only be released in theatres and not on any other OTT platform. He dismissed reports of the film releasing on YouTube. Aamir Khan Productions presents ten debutants—Aroush Datta, Gopi Krishna Varma, Samvit Desai, Vedant Sharma, Ayush Bhansali, Ashish Pendse, Rishi Shahani, Rishabh Jain, Naman Mishra, and Simran Mangeshkar—in Sitaare Zameen Par. Directed by R. S. Prasanna and produced under the banner of Aamir Khan Productions, the film stars Aamir Khan and Genelia Deshmukh in lead roles alongside the ten debutants. The lyrics are penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya, and the music is composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy. The film is set to be released exclusively in theatres on June 20 2025.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Swifties blamed for Travis Kelce interview leak as Bussin' With The Boys crew relives ‘hacked' moment
The Bussin' With The Boys podcast team faced a major setback when their unreleased interview with Travis Kelce was leaked online (Getty Images) In a surprising and chaotic turn of events, the Bussin' With The Boys podcast crew recently opened up about a behind-the-scenes disaster involving their unreleased interview with Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce . According to the show's editors, a leak of the unlisted YouTube interview caused panic within the team—and they believe Taylor Swift's passionate fanbase may have been behind it. Travis Kelce interview clips mysteriously leak before release, sending podcast team into panic On a recent episode of Back of the Bus, a spinoff of Bussin' With The Boys, crew member Mitch recalled the shocking moment when footage from their yet-to-be-published Travis Kelce interview surfaced online. 'He was so big that we kind of got hacked. We weren't recording with Travis at the time. Clips started hitting Twitter, 10-minute clips,' Mitch recounted. 'You look at me, and you were like, 'Did you post the episode?' I'm like no.' Mitch had uploaded the interview as an unlisted video on YouTube—a common practice for internal sharing before a video officially goes live. However, even unlisted videos can be viewed if someone obtains the direct URL. Somehow, Swifties—Taylor Swift's notoriously tech-savvy and devoted fandom—appeared to have found it. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like One of the Most Successful Investors of All Time, Warren Buffett, Recommends: 5 Books for Turning... Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Click Here Undo The Back Of The Bus Interviews The Bussin' With The Boys Interns 'Then you showed me the podcast on Twitter. Jack shows me these videos on Twitter, and I'm like, What did I do wrong? I had to go tell Will and Taylor. I don't know what happened, but somehow the episode was leaked. I don't know how somebody got the URL. Swifties hacked us,' Mitch concluded. Swift's fans are known for their unmatched online detective skills. From tracking her private jet to decoding song lyrics, Swifties spare no effort in supporting—and sometimes protecting—their queen. When Swift started dating Kelce nearly two years ago, their attention naturally extended to every detail of his public appearances and media engagements. In this case, their deep-dive internet sleuthing may have inadvertently compromised a podcast team's entire rollout strategy. Despite the chaos, the Bussin' team had nothing but praise for Kelce and his team, even giving a shout out to the New Heights podcast, which Kelce co-hosts with his brother Jason. They specifically acknowledged their respect for New Heights' social media producer, Jake Chatzky—known online as Jets Jake—for how he handles their digital content. Also Read: Travis Kelce slammed by his own brother Jason Kelce for letting fame go to his head while dating America's top pop star Whether this leak was a case of accidental discovery or calculated fandom obsession, one thing is clear: when it comes to Taylor Swift, Swifties will always find a way.
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
'Aaru', ICCW's new music video, strings together Tamil Nadu's river heritage
These days, rivers in the State are remembered more for floods than for the life they once nurtured. 'Aaru-Rivers of Tamil Nadu', a new music video, seeks to gently remind us of the State's water wealth — by simply calling each river by name, and stringing them together in a soulful tribute. Launched by the International Centre for Clean Water (ICCW), a not-for-profit initiative of IIT-Madras, the seven-minute song sung by father-daughter duos aims at creating awareness on rivers, and seeks collaboration with various stakeholders on rejuvenation of rivers. Conceived, composed, and produced by Kanniks Kannikeswaran, IIT-Madras Alumnus who pioneered the Indian American choral movement, the song's lyrics have woven in names of at least 125 rivers in the State. 'This is the third video produced by ICCW since 2021. The idea is to encourage youngsters to learn the names of the rivers, rekindle reverence, and induce people to pay attention to waterways,' said E. Nandakumar, Chief Executive Officer, ICCW. While the first music video was on the rivers of India, the second one, released in 2022, depicted the significance of monsoons and rainwater harvesting. Music and arts were chosen as the media to convey powerful messages about rivers and the need for conservation. This time, the song, which is available on ICCW's YouTube channel, featured father-daughter duos — veteran singers Unnikrishnan and Uttara; Srinivas and Sharanya. 'In the first video, we had chosen mother-son duos to symbolise the generational transition in celebrating our rivers and passing on the responsibility to restore them,' Mr. Nandakumar said. Noting that the idea for the project took root during an IIT-M reunion in 2020, Mr. Kannikeswaran based in Cincinnati, USA, said: 'It was humbling to know that there are more than 125 rivers in the State during my research. Each of them powerful, but some lost their functionality over the years. I have tuned it in the Tamil folk style, blending in flavours of ragas like Senchurutti. I used alliterations and rhyming words such as 'Pongum Porunai' and 'Kongu Bhavani' to make the lyrics flow with the tune.' There are plans to bring out more such videos on rivers in other States, including Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, and integrate the region's folk and classical raga traditions, he added. ICCW looks to collaborate with other educational institutions for the project.
