Vivek Agnihotri's dig at Sharad Pawar: ‘Like any king, his party collected tax’
Vivek Agnihotri said when he came to Mumbai, Sharad Pawar was the king and like any other king, his party used to collect ‘taxes’.
Reacting to Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar's comment that minorities are not getting their due share despite significant contributions, director Vivek Agnihotri on Sunday said his doubts are now all cleared. In a tweet, he wrote that when he came to Mumbai, Sharad Pawar was the king and his party used to collect 'taxes' in return for which they were allowed to create their own ‘kingdoms’.

"When I came to Mumbai, SP ji was the king. Like any king, his party collected taxes (sic). Many Bollywoodiyas contributed generously. In return they were allowed to create own kingdoms. I always wondered who were those people," Vivek Agnihotri wrote.
Addressing an event titled 'Issues Before Indian Muslims' organised by the Vidarbha Muslim Intellectuals Forum at Nagpur, Sharad Pawar on Saturday said the biggest contribution to Bollywood has come from the Muslim community and no one can ignore that. Without naming any star, Sharad Pawar said the Muslim minorities have contributed the most in taking Bollywood to the top. "Today, in all the fields, whether it is art, whether it is writing, or whether it is poetry, the highest contribution has come from the Minorities and has come in the Urdu language," Pawar said. Whether it is art or writing or poetry, the highest contribution came from minorities and has come in the Urdu language.
Vivek Agnihotri has been vocal against the 'kingdoms' in Bollywood and recently commented that as long as Bollywood has 'kings, Badshahs and Sultans, it will keep sinking'. "Make it people’s industry with people’s stories, it will lead the global film industry," the Kashmir Files director said.
ABOUT THE AUTHORPoulomi GhoshPoulomi Ghosh is a journalist with Hindustan Times, New Delhi.

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