In a video by Brut Entertainment, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri shared valuable advice for the Bollywood industry, emphasising the importance of authentic storytelling in a rapidly evolving entertainment landscape. With a career inclusive of films such as The Tashkent Files and Buddha in a Traffic Jam, and The Kashmir Files, Agnihotri's insights provided a fresh perspective on how Bollywood can connect with audiences on a much deeper level than it currently does.
"They thought Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is India. This is not India. These are not the real problems of India," said Agnihotri, commenting on representation in mainstream narratives. Agnihotri also highlighted the need for filmmakers to move beyond formulaic scripts and embrace narratives that resonate with real-life experiences. He urged filmmakers to explore untold stories, draw inspiration from reality and offer diverse perspectives that reflect the complexities of the society they live in.
Furthermore, he shed light on the need to represent every aspect of society, which Govinda, the famed actor, was able to do. “The thing is Govinda played a common man of India. Any common man could relate with him," stated the filmmaker. He further added, "The entire film industry is in control of these moneyed kids, you know, who are unfortunately born in India, but basically their mind is in London or New York.”
Agnihotri also commented on the rise of “Hinglish” (a mix of Hindi and English) spoken in films, which was the result of the industry being left in the hands of a select few. “Because they didn’t know Hindi, they started using this Hinglish, because they knew Hinglish, they thought everybody in India speaks - nobody speaks like that in India,” said the filmmaker.
The director's advice echoed a growing sentiment among audiences for substance over spectacle. As viewers seek more meaningful and relatable content, Agnihotri's resurfaced call for authenticity may just have resonated with many.
The filmmaker who is set to release his upcoming documentary series, The Kashmir Files: Unreported, on August 11, recently clarified that he does not hold any grudge. “I have no grudge. Absolutely no grudge. I want Bollywood to become better”, he said in an interview with Republic TV.
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