Vivek Agnihotri: 'I want to breathe. So that I can create'

The Kashmir Files helmer Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri has reacted to the relief granted to him by the Delhi High Court in a contempt of court case against him. After his in-person unconditional apology for his old tweets against Orissa High Court Chief Justice Muralidhar, the court discharged the filmmaker in the case. Vivek shared a media statement and criticised the media reports by calling them biased. Talking to Twitter, the filmmaker shared a statement, which read, ‘My statement on the reconciled contempt plea and discharge by the Hon’ble Delhi High Court: Five years ago, America based ‘Drishtikone’ published an article on Gautam Navlakha who was arrested on serious charges of threatening the integrity and sovereignty of India. I merely posted the article as a tweet thread, citing the source and the author. Thereafter, the Delhi High Court issued a suo moto contempt of court against Drishtikone, Shri S. Gurumurthy and myself. The article was taken down by the author with an apology immediately, followed by Shri S Gurumurthy unconditionally apoligising in the court. This left me with no locus stand and I was morally and intellectually obligated to apologise for sharing information from a source that had retracted the article and apologised. To project it otherwise, as a fight for justice and courage, would be pretentious and misplaced. Playing to the gallery by turning this issue into what it is not, is untruthful and sheer waste of creative energy. I have utmost respect for the Indian judiciary and would never say or write anything that is unsubstantiated and which goes against the sanctity of our judiciary which is one of the pillars of our nation. Entangling an individual in legal cases, discrediting them through fake news and consuming their time and energy in reacting all the time, thereby distracting them from their pursuit, is not uncommon in our democracy. Since the release of The Kashmir Files, I have been hounded by various sections of extremists, separatists, media, political parties, dangerous communal fact-checkers, other vested agencies, film festival jury members, and their trolls and bots - both online and in real life. There are open fatwas and threats against me. I have been served with multiple legal notices, from actors to fundamentalist religious bodies to court cases. My family, (specially my young daughter) is being abused and threatened openly, on dog-whistling by certain communal fact-checkers and their allies. This is my reality and all of it is in the public domain.

My statement on yesterday's developments in the Delhi High Court, in the suo motu criminal contempt case. The way it’s reported by some biased media and political parties against me is totally false. Here is why: pic.twitter.com/KwDYutVLTY

— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) April 11, 2023

Unfazed in my mission of an Indic Renaissance through my work, I am focused on my projects with grit, conviction and determination. My purpose is to create and raise awareness about the greatness of the Indic civilisation and highlight our great history, philosophy, sacrifice, strength and achievements so that younger generation feels proud of their rich heritage. I have consistently risked my life and resources for projects that highlight the truth of our civilisation. From Urban Naxals to The Kashmir Files, my team and I have fought a unique battle. The next few years of my life are dedicated to the following unprecedented projects: - Kashmir unreported - a long Docuseries on Kashmir - The Vaccine War - a feature film on the making of the indigenous COVID vaccine The Delhi Files - a feature film on the hidden truth of India’s bloody partition - The Fall of Nizam - a feature film A 3 part feature film series on India’s greatest epic - Establishing a world class Indic research unit (first in Indian cinema) In addition to using cinema as a soft power of India, we are also empowering a number of young Indian storytellers. All of this is possible only through unceasing focus, with absolutely no distractions -be it legal or political. Am determined to enhance space for more creative and spiritual energy into my life so that I can do what has never been done before. As a proud Indian, I want India to become an inspiration for the world. And my contribution to this cause of Indic Renaissance is possible only if I am able to create what I have set out to. Till then, I want to save my energies for the real war. Till then, I want to breathe. So that I can create.’ Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.