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On April 22, 2025, 26 Hindus were brutally killed in a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. A tragedy of this scale called for solidarity, yet only a handful of Bollywood celebs shared carefully worded posts, while the industry as a whole did not speak out for the nation. Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, however, was one of the few voices unafraid to call out this indifference. In an exclusive conversation with The Daily Jagran, he openly slammed Bollywood for turning a blind eye to the Pahalgam terror attack and stressed that silence in moments like these is nothing short of complicity. Agnihotri, unlike many in the industry, did not mince words - he spoke with the conviction that such tragedies demand.

Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri frequently shares his thoughts on current events in the nation or highlights the other side of the Hindi film industry. The 51-year-old filmmaker reveals he uses his content to highlight issues that Bollywood often ignores. He stressed that his movies are meant to spread awareness and bring change in society in the same conversation.

Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, who is sidelined in the industry, added that he doesn’t need Bollywood’s support. "Mujhe unke support ki zarurat nahi hai. Hum do alag tarah ke log hai. Jab Pahalgam mein attack huye thhe, Bollywood ke log kuch nahi bole mein toh khulke likhta hoon, bolta hoon uske baarein mein," he said.

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Vivek Agnihotri noted, "Filmmakers ka kaam kya hai? Hum log koi madari toh hai nahi ki jo bandar ka naach kar rahe hai,  entertainment, entertainment, entertainment." 

The Bengal Files maker claimed that Bollywood movies have only one motive which is to entertain people while he feels that his films should bring about an impact. He shared, "Bollywood maanta hai filmo ka ek maksat hai - entertainment entertainment entertainment. Woh aisa believe karte, mein aisa nahi maanta. Mein aisa believe karta hoon ki meri ek zimmedari hai as a filmmaker, meri film se society mein awareness aani chaiye, ek change aana chaiye, ek impact hona chaiye. Aur jo baat log kehna chahte hai woh bolni chaiye." 

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Speaking about his upcoming film The Bengal Files, Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri drew parallels with history, saying that no Jewish child grows up without knowing about the Holocaust, no Black child is unaware of slavery, and no Japanese child is kept from the truth of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Yet, he questioned why our generation has been kept in the dark about the biggest genocide in our history. He stressed that this silence is not accidental but the result of political reasons that ensured the truth never came to the forefront. "Yeh jo film hai, yeh pehla step hai to acknowledge the generational trauma of Hindu society, or I would say Indian society," he said.

The Bengal Files generated a lot of hype as it indicates that the movie would center on the actual events of the Noakhali riots, the Direct Action Day, and the 1946 Calcutta Killings. The 'most terrible chapter' in Indian history is what this movie seeks to expose. Pallavi Joshi, Darshan Kumar, Anupam Kher, and Mithun Chakraborty are the film's main actors. The Bengal Files, which is directed by Vivek Agnihotri, will hit the big screens on September 5, 2025.

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