Vivek Agnihotri responds to Anurag Kashyap’s Oscar comment: ‘Why is he so scared of The Kashmir Files?’

In a conversation with Hindustan Times, Vivek said that this “wasn’t hurtful” as he has “faced worse criticism.” He said, “These people have been running a campaign against me for many years. In this case, it was a wrong precedent. This is ethically wrong. You can share your preference, but why are you saying which film shouldn’t go (to the Oscars)?” When asked what he meant by “these people,” Agnihotri said, “Only people who attack my film.”

Saying that he has “never looked up to the Oscars”, the director said that he is speaking up only because he feels it is necessary to “defend it (his film) from Bollywood people.” He then proceeded to list down a few questions for Anurag and said, “If somebody is saying it (The Kashmir Files) shouldn’t go to the Oscars, the first question is: Why is he so scared of the film? Second: Why doesn’t he want the stories of Hindu genocide to be told to the world? Thirdly, is he a genocide-denier?”

Anurag had recently told Galatta Plus that while RRR wasn’t his favourite film by SS Rajamouli, he wished that it would be sent for the Oscars as it has a strong chance of making it to the final five. “The West sees RRR differently than how we see it, and they’ve loved RRR. If RRR becomes the India selection, 99% it might get nominated for the Academy Award. That is the impact that RRR has had in the world of Hollywood. India might actually have a nomination in the final five, if RRR is the film that we pick. I don’t know what film anybody is going to pick. I hope not Kashmir Files,” he said.