Vivek Agnihotri is an Indian film director, film producer, and screenwriter in Hindi cinema. As of 2022, he is a member of the board of India’s Central Board of Film Certification and a cultural representative of Indian Cinema at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. A few of these commendable works are The Tashkent Files and The Kashmir Files.
The 49-year-old director recently also directed India’s first ever Bio-Science Film, namely “The Vaccine War”. In a recent statement, the director spoke about casting Alia Bhatt and Kangana Ranaut together, where he stated that it’s not up to him to bring two people together for a film. Both the actresses greet him warmly.
Start of the controversy surrounding Vivek Agnihotri
During the media promotional drive for his latest film, “The Vaccine War”, Vivek Agnihotri was asked by Siddarth Kannan during an interview “Can Vivek Agnihotri get Alia and Kangana to do a film together?” To which the Filmmaker responded by stating in Hindi and claimed that he would rather die than think like that. He also questioned how someone could think like this.
During the interview, he revealed that Alia Bhatt, who was an Indian Actress honored by the Indian government, had been congratulated by him, and both of them received their National Award around the same time. Vivek Agnihotri also expressed his hearty congratulations to Kangana when she received the National Award during his conversation with Siddharth Kannan as well.
Press Conference and his praises to the actresses
The Kashmir Film director said that he also met Alia Bhatt recently at an awards ceremony and felt heart-warmed about the way she had greeted him. He added that he meets Kangana Ranaut warmly as well. “Alia Bhatt got the National Award; she is an actor from India who was honoured by the Government of India. Vivek Agnihotri also stated that when Alia and Kangana got the National Award, he congratulated both of them and they greeted him very warmly. The actresses also congratulated him, when he received the National Award for Kashmir Files.
“Mai do logon ko film mai ek saath kara dun, mera kya lena dena hai unki zindagi se? Mera koi aisa shauk nahi “This Statement was made by Vivek, which translates to that he does not have anything to do with the life of any other person, nor does it interest him to put them both together in a film. Which made it clear he has a healthy relationship with the both of them and does not intend on changing it.
During his conversation with the filmmaker Sudhir Mishra; he reminded the director saying that he used to ask questions about Bollywood publicly, but has stopped now. Why? Vivek Agnihotri also added that no one except him and Kangana has questioned Bollywood in the last 4-5 years.
On the other hand, he is waiting for his fans’ reaction to his recent movie, “The Vaccine War” starring Nana Patekar, Anupam Kher, Raima Sen, Pallavi Joshi and Sapthami Gowda in lead roles. Released on 28th September, 2023; the film depicts the challenges and triumphs of Indian scientists who developed a coronavirus vaccine in a matter of months. The film has earned approximately little more than ₹3 crores and is receiving a “lukewarm” response.
Alia and Kangana’s sentiments towards each other
Kangana Ranaut’s sentiments towards Alia Bhatt seem to be a blend of appreciation and occasional indirect criticising comments. She commended Alia’s performance in Gangubai Kathiawadi last year. However, later in the same year, she subtly took digs at Alia and Ranbir’s marriage. It remains to be seen if a filmmaker can successfully bring these two stars together in a single frame.
Turning to their professional endeavors, Alia has a busy slate of projects, including Vasan Bala’s Jigra. Kangana is set to appear in Tejas, scheduled for release later this month.
