Bollywood filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, who was invited by Oxford Union for a debate on Kashmir, has declined the offer as he found the theme 'offensive'. He also stated that Kashmir is not a topic of debate and termed their invitation a 'direct challenge to India's sovereignty'.
On his X account, Vivek wrote, "I was invited by the prestigious Oxford Union to debate on Kashmir. I found the theme offensive, anti-India, and anti-Kashmir. On principle, I have declined the offer. PFA my decline letter."
Why did Vivek Agnihotri decline the offer?
In his letter to Oxford Union, Vivek explained why he declined the offer.
A part of his letter read, "Your invitation to debate 'This House Believes in an Independent State of Kashmir' is a direct challenge to India's sovereignty, and it is unacceptable to me. I find it not just obnoxious but offensive-not just to 1.4 billion Indians, but also as a humiliation of the hundreds of thousands of displaced indigenous Hindu victims of the Kashmir genocide of 1990. Framing it as a debate feels like turning a tragedy into a parlour game, where the stakes are human lives and the cost is in blood, not just ink."
The filmmaker further mentioned, "Kashmir's story is not a debate topic; it is a narrative of suffering, resilience, and a quest for peace. To reduce it to a 'yes' or 'no' on independence is to ignore the complex tapestry of human emotions and history involved. The genocide of Kashmiri Hindus is a story where the cost has been paid in blood, not in witty retorts or applause from an audience."
On a concluding note, Vivek added, "My decision is not just a decline; it is a call for Oxford Union to step into the 21st century, where debates are about progress, not about reopening wounds for the sake of intellectual sport. With a heart full of Bharat and a mind open for meaningful dialogue."
Take a look at his letter here:
The Kashmir Files
Vivek is best known for directing the film The Kashmir Files, which hit the big screens in 2022. It was a commercial hit but kicked up a political storm with many calling it a 'propaganda film'.
Starring Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty and Pallavi Joshi in major roles, the film revolved around the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the 1990s.
It may be noted that the film won the National Film Award in the 'Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration' category. Vivek Agnihotri's wife, actress Pallavi Joshi, also won the prestigious award for her performance as a supporting actor in The Kashmir Files.
Vivek also released The Kashmir Files Unreported, a show which consists of the research, archival footage and interviews that he did for the film The Kashmir Files. It is a seven-part ZEE5 series which features conversations with historians, experts, real-life victims and their families.
