After Operation Sindoor, All India Cine Workers Association (AICWA) issued a statement reaffirming a complete ban on Pakistani artists. As a result, makers of Diljit Dosanjh’s Sardaar Ji 3, which also featured Pak actor Hania Aamir, decided to release the film internationally, everywhere except in India. Meanwhile, Fawad Khan’s Bollywood comeback film with Vaani Kapoor, titled Aabeer Gulaal, was banned. However, it is now following in the footsteps of Sardaar Ji 3, looking at an international release. During a recent interview on The Right Angle with Sonal Kalra, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri shared his views on the same.
Vivek Agnihotri, who is currently gearing up for The Bengal Files, shared, “Dekhiye main toh free speech pe believe karta hun. Okay? Aur main yeh maanta hun ki artists have no boundaries. Agar aapko lagta hai ki aapki film… samajhiye aap ek painter hain, aap ek painting banana chahte hain. Toh aap laal aur hare rang ya neele rang se ladayi toh nahi lad sakte hain. Right? Agar aap media mein hain aur agar aapko reporting karni hai toh aap yeh toh nahi keh sakte hain ki achha bhai falana banda Pakistan se hai toh main toh uski report hi nahi karenge chahe kuchh bhi ho jaaye, uska naam bhi nahi lunga apne muh se. Yeh baaki civil society ke liye, aur logo ke liye ho sakta hai. Lekin jo professionals hain, woh kaise yeh bol sakte hain? Fir toh air force waalo ko bhi bolna chahiye, ki kya bolte hain, hum toh jaayenge nahi…”
Giving his own example, Vivek explained, “Agar mujhe kabhi zarurat padhi ki mujhe aisa laga iss film ke liye mujhe yahi Pakistani actor chahiye, what I will do I can tell you. I will then convince my audience, I’ll tell them the reason why it is required, kyun chahiye. Jaise main aapko batata hun, meri film mein kuchh log hain jo abhi isme bhi kaam kar rahe hain, who are TMC members. TMC ke saath kaam karte hain woh log, right? Lekin maine toh yeh nahi socha ki woh hain toh main unko haath nahi lagaunga ya yeh nahi karunga. Kahin logo ka aisa maanna hai ki Naseer sahab aur mei ideology alag hai, par maine The Tashkent Files mein unke saath kaam kiya. Mujhe inn cheezon se kuchh farak nahi padhta hai. My first AD… meri toh unit mein aadha se zyada Muslim log hi kaam karte hain. My first AD, jo sabse important backbone hota hai ek film ka, wohi namazi Muslim, 5-5 baar namaz padhne waala Muslim banda woh tha. Maine kaha script padho, agar lagta hai yeh script jo hai woh correct hai, toh kaam karo, nahi toh beech mein doubt leke nahi karna. Woh apni maa ke paas leke gaya. Usne apni mummy ko poori sunaayi. Haan haan, mere paas aaya, kehta ‘Meri mummy approve karengi, kyunki woh Kashmir Files unhone nahi dekhi hai. Log kehte hain mat dekho isliye unhone nahi dekhi hai, she doesn’t like that’. Maine kaha unko tu jaake ek baar suna de, aur fir unhe lagta hai toh tu mat karna, mujhe koi problem nahi hai. I believe in you because you have capability. Toh usne sunaya, uski maa ne usko bola ‘Nahi nahi, unko jaake bolo ki main bhi unko apni woh bhejti hun blessings, ki yeh bohot achha kaam kar rahe hain, kyunki yeh film jodne waali hai’. This film asks very fundamental questions. So… lekin log bina dekhe hue Sonal, bina jaane hue film ke andar kya hai, they are trying to attack us. Kya karun? Theek hai, we’ll fight.”
Starring Darshan Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Simrat Kaur, Saswata Chatterjee and Namashi Chakraborty, Vivek Agnihotri’s The Bengal Files is all set to arrive in theatres on September 5.