Vivek Agnihotri reacts to Anurag Kashyap’s ‘jhoota aadmi’ jibe, says he stands by remarks on drinking habits: ‘But I never said Anurag is a bad guy’ |

Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri has addressed Anurag Kashyap’s recent remark calling him a “jhoota aadmi” (liar), offering a pointed yet measured response. While acknowledging Kashyap’s unparalleled impact on Indian cinema, Vivek maintained that his earlier statements about the director’s drinking habits were factual.In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Vivek remarked, “Usko chhodo. Woh raat mein kya bolta hai, subah kya bolta hai, dono mein farak hai… Yes, I had talked about his drinking habits, and that’s the truth. But I never said Anurag is a bad guy — he is a wonderful guy. His contribution to Indian cinema is unprecedented. There can be only one Anurag Kashyap. When Indian cinema’s history is written, people will remember him.”

Fallout dates back to ‘Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal’The fresh exchange comes after Anurag publicly called Vivek a liar on social media, reigniting tensions that have lingered since their professional fallout during the making of the 2007 sports drama Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal, starring John Abraham, Arshad Warsi, and Bipasha Basu.Vivek reiterated that his film was impacted by Kashyap’s alcoholism, adding, “What’s wrong with that? I used to drink a lot during a time period in my life, and suffered at work because of it. It happens. I stand by my point that he gave his work to Vikramaditya Motwane. You can ask the company that hired them.”

Both filmmakers busy with upcoming projectsVivek Agnihotri is gearing up for his next politically charged film, The Bengal Files. This upcoming drama will delve into West Bengal’s history of political violence and ideological conflicts. The film features Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, and Darshan Kumar in key roles.Meanwhile, Anurag Kashyap is working on Nishaanchi, an action drama that will mark the acting debut of Balasaheb Thackeray’s grandson, Aaishvary Thackeray. The teaser for the film dropped on Friday.