Vivek Agnihotri announces ‘Bollywood is falling’, says ‘no promising new stars, actors can’t speak Hindi, no fresh ideas’

Also Read: Vivek Agnihotri says he fired lead actor because of their ‘arrogant’ manager: ‘Employee of a huge celeb’s star kid talent agency’

‘No promising new stars’

Commenting on the trend of re-releases, Vivek also shared, “There are no movies — that’s why there’s a mad rush to release old films. Most directors who could have made a difference in these critical times have given up and succumbed to OTT. For the film business to survive, star actors are essential. But there are no promising new stars. If you want to cast someone from the 21–35 age group, you’ll find almost none — neither heroes nor heroines. The few that exist can’t speak Hindi, can’t emote, and seem more interested in Instagram than their craft. And without having achieved much, they come with an entourage — managers, social media teams, trainers, and whatnot.”

BOLLYWOOD IS FALLING — and it’s the best thing that could happen.

Bollywood is in shambles. And that’s good for the industry. To erect a new building, you must demolish the old one. This is that time.

Today, Bollywood has hardly any independent producers. No new producers. No…

— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) March 8, 2025

‘Box office has become hoax office’

He also added, “If you choose to cast unknown, outsider actors from humble backgrounds (like I do), you stand no chance of getting funding, distribution, or marketing. The box office, once the ultimate test of a film, has now become a hoax office. You can publish any figure, give away free tickets, arrange corporate bookings, manipulate BookMyShow — do whatever you want. It’s a free-for-all. Everyone’s screaming about box office numbers, but their films have nothing to say. There are no genuine critics, no real film magazines or tabloids. Anyone can pay and get anything written. No wonder, as always, Bollywood chose the easy way out: manipulation and corruption.”

“The irony? The mighty ones who created this corrupt chakravyuh are now playing the victims. The monster they built is ready to swallow them. And I’m happy. I hope it does. I hope it devours them so they can reincarnate — this time as pure film creators, not monster-makers. The team we worked with on The Delhi Files was full of small-town, vernacular boys and girls. Many of them will succeed and make great films — provided the monster eats up this old, broken, and extremely corrupt system. If you’re a middle-class, small-time young storyteller willing to sacrifice for your craft, this is your time. Yes. This is the time. Come. Let’s build a new Hindi film industry. Otherwise, change Bollywood’s name to Instawood,” his note concluded. 

On the work front, Vivek’s last film was The Vaccine War, which was released in 2023; his next, The Delhi Files: The Bengal Chapter, is slated for release on 15th August this year.