Vivek says, “We never thought the Kashmir Files would have such an impact.”
The ‘Files’ plots were planned as a trilogy. Vivek says, “One day I was thinking about the three pillars of democracy – truth, justice and life. The ‘Files’ trilogy was born out of this principle. The Tashkent Files was about the Right to Truth. The Kashmir Files is about the right to justice. The Delhi Files will be on Right to Life. The fourth pillar of democracy is the audience. Let them decide what they want to watch. The audience won’t clap for nonsense.”
For Vivek, cinema is not about networking and socialising. They don’t party. They don’t drink alcohol. The Kashmir Files started with just 600 screens. Then suddenly it became a B and C center film as well.
Vivek has turned his back on Bollywood. “They wanted me to make the typical potboiler which we were not ready to do. We decided that we will make films based on our own research with our own money. This was our decision in 2010. Then we made Buddha in the Traffic Jam, The Tashkent Files and The Kashmir Files.
Responding to the allegation that The Kashmir Files is Islamophobic, Vivek said, “I believe my audience is intelligent enough to know that the villain in The Kashmir Files is terrorism. There is a line in my film where a The character says that apart from Hindus, Muslims and other communities are also victims of terrorism. What matters to me is that the film reaches out and touches hearts.
Vivek feels that Bollywood cinema is not made for him. “I resigned from Bollywood in 2010. We are a very small boutique film production house. We make cinema with passion. I am happy that I do not have friends in Bollywood. If I did I would be somewhere tempted to please them by making what they want me to make. Right now when I talk to you I can make a lot of money and go home happy. But I can’t do that. It’s not in my DNA.
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