‘Taapsee Pannu, Rajkummar Rao don't do independent films’: Vivek Agnihotri says he's India's only independent filmmaker

Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri's film The Kashmir Files will release on March 11, 2022. Talking about it, Vivek claimed that he is the “only independent filmmaker in India.”

Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri is currently awaiting the release of his film The Kashmir Files. In a new interview, Vivek called himself the “only independent filmmaker in India," and that actors like Rajkummar Rao and Taapsee Pannu also “don't do independent films,” as they are mostly backed up by big production houses. Read More: Vivek Agnihotri: Actors have started choosing films based on filmmaker’s political inclination

Vivek Agnihoti says Taapsee Pannu and Rajkummar Rao's films are not “independent.”

Vivek's film The Kashmir Files, is both and written and directed by him. The movie is based on the Kashmiri Pandit genocide and ethnic cleansing. The film will release on March 11, 2022.

In an interview with Etimes, Vivek said that he is the only filmmaker in India who makes independent films. He said, “I knew there would be opposition, but what pains me is this is from the same Bollywood that talks about respecting independent filmmakers. Who can be more independent than me? Nobody! I love certain actors like Rajkummar Rao, Taapsee Pannu, but when they make a film and say it’s an independent one, it’s not! It’s supported and financed by big studios. They are doing the same thing and just naming it differently. While Bollywood media call them independent filmmakers, I am the only genuine independent filmmaker here in India.”

Recently, Vivek deleted his Twitter account after receiving threats from people online. After a few hours he reactivated his account. Talking about it, he said, “I deactivated my Twitter account because there were a lot of threats and I was advised by professionals to deactivate it for a few days to get rid of bots from Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir. There were also genuine threats but I have signed up for this. When I started this film, I knew exactly how it is going to play out. I knew that people in Pakistan would have a problem with the film, but I didn’t know that people from Delhi and Bombay would be threatened by the subject of my film.”

The Kashmir Files is being screened in 16 US cities. Actors Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, Darshan Kumar, and Pallavi Joshi play important roles in the film.