Vivek Agnihotri of ‘The Kashmir Files’ fame on Sunday graced Lucknow for not only his first-ever book launch and signing session in India, but to also discuss his newest film, ‘The Vaccine War’.
The movie director interacted with his fans as well, at Universal Booksellers here. Tucked away in the Hazratganj bookstore, around 40 of Agnihotri’s fans sat down to discuss his latest book, “The Book of Life: My dance with Buddha for Success.” He gave away around 50 signed copies at the session that lasted for around two hours and spoke candidly with the readers and fans about his books and films. “He was uncannily frank and unfiltered, and the audience really enjoyed the interaction,” shared Gaurav Prakash of Universal Booksellers, the organiser.
This was followed up by a press conference regarding Agnihotri’s latest project, which released last month. The director was accompanied by Dr. Balram Bhargava, the writer of the book on which the movie is based. Bhargava, in his book ‘Going Viral - Making of Covaxin: The Inside Story’, documented his experiences as then director general of Indian Council of Medical Research. In the movie, his character is played by veteran actor Nana Patekar.
In his address, Agnihotri called the making of this film, as well as others in his directorial repertoire, as “CSR - meaning cinematic social responsibility”. He said that it was important to make films on important issues while those issues were still relevant, “And as a filmmaker I have always tried to do that. Along with losing relevance, I also fear that if I make a film 30 years after the fact, I may be accused of peddling propaganda,” he joked. He called the management of the Covid pandemic and the country’s collective healing process a win not only for the nation but also for the government.
{{/usCountry}}In his address, Agnihotri called the making of this film, as well as others in his directorial repertoire, as “CSR - meaning cinematic social responsibility”. He said that it was important to make films on important issues while those issues were still relevant, “And as a filmmaker I have always tried to do that. Along with losing relevance, I also fear that if I make a film 30 years after the fact, I may be accused of peddling propaganda,” he joked. He called the management of the Covid pandemic and the country’s collective healing process a win not only for the nation but also for the government.
{{/usCountry}}Dr. Bhargava too stressed the importance of etching medical victories of the country into Bollywood, saying, “As we all know the Indian population is entranced by the power of movies and Bollywood - so if making a film about medical and scientific wins is a way to write it into posterity, then so be it.”