Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri will not be attending the upcoming Filmfare Awards where his film ‘The Kashmir Files’ is nominated in seven categories including Best Director. Taking to Twitter, Vivek said that he doesn’t wish to be a part of ‘these unethical and anti-cinema awards’.
Reacting to a tweet about the Filmfare nominations this year, Vivek wrote, ‘I learnt from media that #TheKashmirFiles is nominated in 7 categories for the 68th Filmfare Awards. But I politely refuse to be part of these unethical and anti-cinema awards. Here is why: According to Filmfare, other than the stars, nobody has a face. Nobody matters. That’s why, in the sycophant and unethical world of Filmfare, Master Directors like Sanjay Bhansali or Sooraj Barjatya have no faces. Sanjay Bhansali looks like Alia Bhatt, Sooraj like Mr. Bachchan, and Annes Bazmi like Karthik Aryan. It’s not that a filmmaker’s dignity comes from Filmfare Awards but this humiliating system must end.’
He added, ‘Therefore, as my protest and dissent against a corrupt, unethical and sycophant establishment of Bollywood, I have decided to not accept such awards. I refuse to be part of any oppressive and corrupt system or awards which treats writers, directors and other HODs & crew members of a film inferior to and/or as slaves to stars.
Concluding his post, he congratulated those who may not win and wrote, ‘My congratulations to all those who win and more to those who do not. The brighter side is that I am not alone. Slowly but steadily, a parallel Hindi film industry is emerging. Until then…’
Besides the Best Director category, ‘The Kashmir Files’ is also nominated for Best Film, Best Screenplay, Anupam Kher has been nominated for Best Actor, Mithun Chakraborty, and Darshan Kumar for Best Supporting Actor.
‘The Kashmir Files’ was one of the highest-grossing Hindi films last year.
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