Vivek Agnihotri on RG Kar incident: Bengalis worship Durga, Kali but the girls are no more safe

Kolkata is brimming with rallies owing to the grisly RG Kar incident that shook the world. Vivek Agnihotri, famous for directing the film The Kashmir Files, joined a political rally in Kolkata on Wednesday. He expressed his thoughts to the media regarding the present situation in West Bengal.

Vivek said that he came to Kolkata to protest. “I waited and saw that many people talked about RG Kar, but that was devoid of emotion. Hence, I thought that I should come to Bengal if I want to speak up,” he told Anandanabar Patrika.

Vivek is aware of the theory of conspiracy regarding the incident. ‘I don’t understand the need to hush up a crime. But I don’t want to talk about what others are doing. Every person in politics is culpable at some level. No one is one hundred percent honest,” said the director.

He further said, “People know Bengal’s history. Bengali people worship Durga and Kali. But Bengali girls are safe no more. I want to inspire the Bengali youth.’ Vivek thinks that rape has been used as a political weapon in the past. ‘Direct Action Day, Noakhali Riot, Left Front and Congress regimes–the examples are endless. But this has to stop now.’ 

Vivek has an old connection with Bengal. ‘My parents lived in Kolkata after their wedding. They were imprisoned during the Independence movement.’ But Vivek lamented that the youth do not know Bengal’s glorious past. He also asked them to act prudently at the time of fake news. ‘You should stay away from political traps. Otherwise, you will be used for someone else’s dream materialization.’ He advised the Bengali youth to stay clear from politics, remembering Swami Vivekananda.

Vivek was trolled on social media and in his personal sphere in the last few years. How can he keep mental strength? He smiled ‘I was hurt in the shoulder at Jadavpur University. I follow Tagore. His chant ‘Ekla Cholo’ strengthens me.’ 

Vivek thinks that a celebrity being vocal or not is their personal decision. ‘Stars don’t want to talk now because they will be trolled whatever they say. But I don’t think that keeping mum is the same as supporting the harassment of women.’ However, the Prime Minister did not react to the RG Kar incident. Vivek cautiously replied ‘’That is his decision. I don’t want to talk on behalf of anyone. I want to do whatever is possible through my films, speech, and book.’ 

Vivek will soon start shooting his next film The Delhi Files. ‘I will portray several problems of Bengal, including political violence.’ However, he does not want to cast any big name since he believes that content is the supreme factor. He worked with Bengali stars like Raima Sen, Paoli Dam, and Bipasha Basu. He said that he has been looking for young Bengali actresses for his project.