Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files won Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration honour at the 69th National Film Awards. Very cleverly the filmmaker strategically edited Karan Johar out of the frame, despite his victory for the production of the film "Shershaah," featuring Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani. The partially cropped image of Karan Johar surfaced in Vivek Agnihotri's celebratory post, leading many on the internet to speculate that the ongoing feud between the two filmmakers remains unresolved. ALSO READ: National Film Awards 2023 Winners List OUT! Allu Arjun, Alia Bhatt, Kriti Sanon Receive Top Honours
Vivek Agnihotri has frequently taken jibe at Karan Johar, criticizing what he perceives as elitism and disapproving of his approach to filmmaking. Repeatedly, he has left no room for doubt about his aversion to the filmmaker, so the act of cropping him out of these pictures comes as no surprise to his fans. The Vaccine War director has been a huge critic of nepotism in Bollywood film industry and in the past admitted that KJo is the flag bearer of it. ALSO READ: Alia Bhatt Wears Her Wedding Saree As She Attends 69th National Film Awards Ceremony With Hubby Ranbir Kapoor
Such talent. Women power. #NationalAwards pic.twitter.com/yrsSwxGpBO
— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) October 17, 2023
In an old interview, Vivek Agnihotri made his sentiments clear, openly expressing his disapproval for the type of films produced by KJo and SRK. He stated, "After Amitabh Bachchan's emergence as a superstar, not the one from Deewar, but the one from Shehanshah, cinema ceased to tell genuine stories. Particularly, Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan's cinema, which, in his view, has had a detrimental impact on India's cultural identity. He believed it was imperative to convey authentic, unvarnished narratives." Was this intentional by the director of The Kashmir Files or accidental? what are your thoughts?
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