“Were we bhikaris before The Kashmir Files?” – Vivek Agnihotri SLAMS trolls linking lavish new house to film’s success; says, “Pallavi Joshi and I were always well-to-do”

Vivek Agnihotri had a long conversation with Komal Nahta about his working style, beginnings in the industry and a lot more. At one point, he was asked to comment on his supposed claims that he would donate a portion of the collections of The Kashmir Files (2022) to the Kashmiri Pandits.

Vivek Agnihotri revealed, “I never said it. Some people with vested interests made that claim. Even before the film was out, we were working closely with the Kashmiri Pandit community. How can I announce? Woh paisa mera tha hi nahin!”

He said, “The budget of The Kashmir Files was Rs. 15 crores. While Zee Studios invested 50%, the balance Rs. 7.50 crores was funded by Abhishek Agarwal. We (Vivek Agnihotri and Pallavi Joshi) worked on zero fees. We were minority partners as we didn’t have clout then. In The Bengal Files, we are the majority partners and also the major producers.”

Vivek continued, “So, it’s not like I got a huge amount of money or that my life changed big time. Some people alleged that I bought a lavish house. Aisa nahin hota ki film aa gayi aur agle mahine koi ghar le leta hai! That building was under construction. We had booked a house way in advance. It was a coincidence that The Kashmir Files was released and the registration happened at the same time. We didn’t have time to visit the government office for registration. So, once the film was out in cinemas, we got the time and did the registration.”

He thundered, “Also, were we bhikaris before The Kashmir Files? I have had a long, bloody career. Pallavi has been working for years. We were always well-to-do; we were not living in poverty.”

Vivek Agnihotri added, “Some skeptics demanded to know why I didn't donate? I am a filmmaker; this is my business. I made Buddha In A Traffic Jam (2016) in Rs. 1.75 crores. I earned some money from its sale. Then, I spent Rs. 6-7 crores in making The Tashkent Files (2019). Our brand equity grew a little more and that motivated us to make The Kashmir Files.”

He also stated, “I asked Zee for Rs. 2 crores to do research for The Kashmir Files. We used that money to meet Kashmiri Pandits in the USA, Europe, Jammu, Kashmir, etc. We had a unit of four people – me, Pallavi, my son and a cameraman. We used to rent a car from the airport. I used to drive the car. At times, we drove 8-10 hours to save money on flights. Hence, we had to struggle and face a lot of difficulties. After 4 years of research, The Kashmir Files was made. As for The Bengal Files, its research began on March 20, 2020, and it finally came out in cinemas after 5 years, in September 2025.”

Also Read: Vivek Agnihotri reveals HILARIOUS story on how Emraan Hashmi bagged Chocolate: “Anil Kapoor told me, ‘Ek ladka hai. Woh kisi bhi ladki ko pakad ke kiss kar leta hai’!”

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