Vivek Agnihotri reacts to The Kerala Story.
Vivek Agnihotri reached out to the team of The Kerala Story after the impressive opening day box office collection.
The Kashmir Files director Vivek Agnihotri reacted to the buzz and the impressive box office opening of The Kerala Story. But the filmmaker offered a piece of advice along with his congratulatory message. Taking to Twitter, Agnihotri told producer Vipul Shah and his team of The Kerala Story that their lives are going to change forever after this film.
“Dear Vipul Shah & @sudiptoSENtlm, @adah_sharma and team of #TheKeralaStory, first let me congratulate you for the brave effort. At the same time, let me also give you the bad news that from here on, your lives will not be the same. You will receive unimaginable hate. Your will feel suffocated. Many times you may get confused and demoralised. But remember, God tests the shoulders on which he can put the responsibility of becoming the change agents,” he tweeted.
“If cinema is a medium to follow your course of Dharma, never stop. Let the community of Indic storytellers grow. Help new, young talented, Indic storytellers. Let this Indic Renaissance become the guiding light of a New Bharat,” he added.
In another portion of his note, Agnihotri opened up about his experience of making a film in India. He said, “I grew up listening to great filmmakers and cinema critics that the only purpose of art is to provoke people into questioning their own beliefs and biases. I also grew up listening that cinema reflects the reality of a society. I was told that cinema must destroy old Gods and create new Gods. It’s an unwritten law that when evil becomes too strong, its the artist’s dharma to expose it with his/her art. Did I hear it wrong? No. The thought is correct. But the people who say it are wrong people.”
He shared his observation that ‘modern times cinema has the power to do what media and politics can’t do.’ “It can present uncomfortable reality, correct history, fight culture war and also become the soft power of a nation for larger interest,” he added. Agnihotri claimed that making films in India is ‘not easy.’
“I tried it with ‘Buddha in A Traffic Jam’, ‘The Tashkent Files’ and ‘The Kashmir Files’. I have been physically, professionally, socially and psychologically assaulted,” he claimed. “But in India, to pave the new way, to initiate Indic Renaissance and destroy old Gods is not for the weak hearted. You should be ready to sacrifice everything. Yes, everything. To create a heaven for the future, you must stay in hell. I believe, I was chosen by Maa Saraswati to become the medium and I surrendered myself to her. This has given me strength to fight hard-core fundamentalists and enemies of truth, justice and Dharma,” he said. Read his complete post below:
CINEMA AND INDIC RENNIASANCE:#TheKeralaStoryI grew up listening to great filmmakers and cinema critics that the only purpose of art is to provoke people into questioning their own beliefs and biases.
I also grew up listening that cinema reflects the reality of a society.
I…
— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) May 6, 2023
Meanwhile, Trade expert Taran Adarsh has now revealed The Kerala Story has collected Rs 8 crores. The film reportedly had a decent footfall in the first half of Friday but witnessed a growth towards the evening.
