Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, who gained widespread recognition for movies like The Kashmir Files and The Vaccine War, has finally responded to actress Tanushree Dutta’s past allegations against him. The controversy dates back to the time they worked together on the 2005 film Chocolate.
In an old interview, Tanushree had accused Vivek Agnihotri of behaving rudely with her on set and making her uncomfortable. Now, after years of silence, the filmmaker has opened up on the issue—and he hasn't held back.
In a recent conversation with podcaster Shubhankar Mishra, Vivek Agnihotri addressed the claims made by Dutta. Taking a subtle dig at the actress, he said, “Yeh film industry ki aisi baat hai ki actors and actresses par bahut pressure hota hai to be successful. Jab aap successful nahi hote, toh aap kahi baar frustrate ho jaate hai ki you don't know what state of mind you are in. You can't stay in that sanity. You can't be rational.”
He continued, adding that he chooses not to dwell on such matters: “When such things happen with me, I prefer to forgive. People keep talking about you, but I don't take them seriously. I don't like to get engaged in such issues and let them do whatever they want to do.”
This statement comes in response to serious allegations made by Tanushree Dutta in an earlier interview with Faridoon Shahryar.
The Aashiq Banaya Aapne actress had claimed that Agnihotri once yelled at her for being five minutes late to set and labeled her “unprofessional.” She explained, “One day, when I arrived on set five minutes late, he yelled at me and called me unprofessional. Sometimes, I would come to the set when the lights weren’t even on and nothing was prepared... But on that particular day, I was exactly five minutes late, and he was on set just to see whether I had arrived or not.”
She also alleged that she was made to sit in revealing clothes unnecessarily, despite being off-camera: “Artists are supposed to rest in the van when they’re not shooting... Even when I sat in a robe, he would say, ‘No, there’s a shot coming up, so take it off.’ He would make me sit in those short clothes in front of the entire unit.”
Agnihotri’s response, however, suggests he views the allegations as baseless and born out of personal frustrations rather than facts. Without directly addressing each of Dutta’s points, he implied that people often say things when they are not doing well in their careers and that he has chosen not to give attention to such controversies.
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As of now, Tanushree Dutta has not reacted to Agnihotri’s latest remarks. It remains to be seen whether she will respond or let the matter rest.
On the work front, Vivek Agnihotri is currently gearing up for the release of his upcoming film The Bengal Files, which is slated to hit theatres on September 5, 2025.
Stay tuned for further developments in this ongoing industry saga.
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