Accused of spreading disinformation himself, Vivek Agnihotri slams ‘cunning’ Nikkhil Advani’s Freedom at Midnight, calls Aamir Khan’s PK ‘contrived’

Filmmaker Nikkhil Advani didn't have any kind words to say about the recent series Freedom at Midnight, which deals with some of the same historical events as his upcoming film The Bengal Files.

Vivek Agnihotri slammed Nikkhil Advani's series Freedom at Midnight.

Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, who is currently promoting The Bengal Files, the third installment of his spiritually connected trilogy that also includes The Tashkent Files and The Kashmir Files, spoke about the recently released series Freedom at Midnight. Created by Nikkhil Advani, the show deals with some of the same historical events as Agnihotri’s film, and he watched one episode out of curiosity. In an interview, he bit his tongue as he nearly swore at the mere mention of the show. He said that the folks behind it ‘are the real problem’ in Bollywood, and accused them of spreading misinformation. Agnihotri himself has been accused of making propaganda.

In an appearance on The Raunac Podcast, he was asked if he has seen Freedom at Midnight, which tells the story of India’s independence, and the backroom dealings that happened in the lead-up to it. “Nobody has shown the truth behind the Partition,” he claimed. When the interviewer mentioned Freedom at Midnight, Agnihotri remarked, “Woh toh maha… Jo main bolne jaa raha tha, bolna nahi chahiye. Shiv, Shiv, Shiv…” He continued, “These people are the problem. I wasn’t going to swear, but I was going to use a Hindi word that would’ve been controversial. Plus, one shouldn’t criticise someone else’s work.”

Also read – As a Bengali, I refuse to watch ‘The Bengal Files’. It seeks to inflame, not inform

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And yet, that’s what he continued to do. “The only reason I watched one episode of the show was because they said they’d present the Direct Action Day. My film also has it, and I was curious to see if there were any overlaps. And I can’t tell you… There is knowledge, there is foolishness, and then there is gyaan praapt dhoortata (cunningness). This is when you misrepresent facts on purpose.” Agnihotri seemed particularly outraged by the show’s depiction of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, the mastermind behind the Direct Action Day, and referred to as the ‘Butcher of Bengal’.

Agnihotri also offered his comments about other Hindi projects, such as Aamir Khan’s PK, which deals with themes of religion and the commodification of it. “I wasn’t too impressed by it. I thought it was contrived and forced,” he said, although he also voiced his appreciation for Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies, which was produced by Aamir. “I like 3 Idiots,” he added.

Agnihotri described himself as a specialist on Hindu history, and said that others are welcome to make movies about Muslims if they want to, but he won’t because he doesn’t believe he has the correct knowhow or perspective. “I want to make movies about Hindu history. I can’t make films about Islamic history. But others are free to do so. It’s not like they haven’t. Roja-woja bani toh hai terrorist logon pe,” he said. The Bengal Files will be released on September 5. Agnithori’s The Kashmir Files and The Tashkent Files were both criticised for their factual inaccuracies and propagandist tone.

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