Vivek Agnihotri, a filmmaker, has criticized the latest Bollywood movies for their themes. He claimed that the reason films have difficulty drawing audiences to theatres is that the middle-class public can hardly relate to these films. However, Sudhir Mishra argued that the audience has become ‘lazy’ which is why they are not watching movies in cinema halls.
Agnihotri, in his latest interview, said, “I have been totally boycotted in this industry. I have found my solace in middle-class people. And when I talked to the housewives, they mentioned having issues with this over-exposure and vulgar display of physical attitude. People are irritated because films do not address the real concerns.”
The Kashmir Files director used Karan Johar’s Student of the Year as an example and questioned whether the students portrayed in the film truly represent the youth of the nation. “I am saying it without malice, but Student of the Year, and films after that, just see the youth in those films and the youth on the roads of the country, you won’t find the youth shown in the movies. When I watched Deewar, I related to it instantly, I looked at Amitabh Bachchan and felt, ‘Oh I also have this problem.’ But today, there is no relatability. Why are you disrespecting the sensibilities of the audience?” asked Agnihotri.
When Sudhir Mishra said that the audience has also become ‘lazy’, Vivek Agnihotri argued, “Boycott Bollywood is not fake. The audience has not become lazy. I want to understand the films which are being made these days. Who are the audience of these films? Whose concerns are they talking about? Where are we going? Even Manmohan Desai’s films catered to the issues of a middle-class man. But where is the common man in today’s films?”
Agnihotri also said that nobody, besides him and Kangana Ranaut, is questioning the practices of the Hindi film industry. “If the establishment does something wrong, we have the right to question it, at least the intellectuals and liberals should do it. So, the film industry is also an establishment. Those who are questioning the state, should not first question the establishment from which they are earning a living. So, who has questioned Bollywood besides Kangana and me? And, why should I be bothered if I question the practices of the industry?” the filmmaker asked.
Vivek Agnihotri has been quite vocal about his opinion on the film industry on social media. Additionally, he has been questioning those who spoke out against his film The Kashmir Files.