Vivek Agnihotri on 'Boycott Bollywood' trend, says industry needs to introspect on why it happened

Bollywood is dealing with a number of setbacks of late. Not only is the industry facing a long standing slump when it comes to the box office, a number of films have also found themselves in the midst of calls for a boycott. Laal Singh Chaddha, Raksha Bandhan, Dobaaaraa, Darlings, Liger and more have been part of the ‘boycott trend’ of late. Vivek Agnihotri recently opened up about the situation plaguing Bollywood at present.

According to a report in India Today, the filmmaker said that boycotting something was the individual right of a person, while speaking at a recent event. Agnihotri said that what was important was to figure out the root of the problem and why the boycott situation arose.

Giving an example, Agnihotri spoke of one of the reasons why he thought Bollywood found itself in this dilemma. The filmmaker gave an example of a toothpaste company, and said that if the company started making fun of its customers, claiming that the people who use it are idiots, then naturally people would stop buying it after a while. “Toh yeh thoda introspect ki baat hai ki aaj kya kaaran hai ki yeh situation aayi hai", he said.

The filmmaker went on to speak of how his last film, The Kashmir Files, also faced a boycott from the Bollywood industry, including critics, media and exhibitors. “But if your film is honest... duniya ki koi takat usse rok nahi sakti", he added.

Agnihotri had recently penned a note about the ‘dark underbelly’ of Bollywood. Calling the industry a ‘cemetery of talent’, the filmmaker had spoken of how Bollywood had a penchant for ‘shattering dreams’ through tactics of ‘humiliation and exploitation’. He had also claimed that even people who have established themselves in the industry have to put up appearances and bury their dreams, in what he called a ‘hollow race of validation’.