Vivek Agnihotri asked to make ‘Manipur Files’, responds, ‘Isn’t anyone else man enough?’

In Pic: Vivek Agnihotri

Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri is known for hard-hitting films like ‘The Kashmir Files' and ‘The Tashkent Files' based on real-life incidents. Netizens are now urging him to make ‘The Manipur Files', after the recent incident of two women being paraded naked and abused came to light. Vivek received the request after posting on the death of Kashmiri Pandits.

A while ago, Vivek tweeted on the subject of The Kashmir Files Unreported, saying, "Indian judiciary stood and stands blind and mute to Kashmiri Hindu Genocide. It failed and still fails to ‘suo moto' protect the #RightToLife of Kashmiri Hindus as promised in our Constitution." Replying to the post, a user asked him to make Manipur Files. The tweet reads, "Don't waste time go and make a movie Manipur Files if you are man enough."

Vivek later replied to the tweet, saying, "Thanks for having so much faith in me. Par saari films mujhse hi banwaoge kya yaar? Tumhari ‘Team India' mein koi ‘man enough' filmmaker nahin hai kya (But, do you want me to make all the films. Isn't anyone else not man enough)?"

Ethnic violence began in Manipur two months back. It all began on May 3 in Churachandpur town in the state after Kuki factions called for protests over a plan to award the state's Meitei people scheduled tribe status. It resulted in violence between the parties, which claimed over 150 lives and wounded over 50,000 people.

A more than two-month-old video from the state that was shot during the violence just went viral. It depicted two native women being paraded naked and assaulted by a gang of men. The video has now gone viral on the internet, causing widespread public indignation.

In reaction to the Manipur incident, Vivek had already penned a sombre poem. He tweeted, "MANIPUR: Moplah, Direct Action Day, Noakhali, Bangladesh, Punjab, Kashmir, Bengal, Kerala, Assam, Bastar and now Manipur… Every time our innocent mothers and sisters become the ultimate victims of inhuman, barbarian acts. As a Bharatiya, as a man, as a human being, I am shattered each time. I am ashamed. I am so guilty for my helplessness."

His poem read: "O Manipur, I tried… I tried… but I failed. All I can do now is tell their tragic stories through my work. But it's too late by then. We are all victims of selective and hyper- competitive electoral politics. We are victims of hyper-religion. We are victims of dangerous media. We, the people of Bharat, are victims. There is no #RightToLife in free India. And we can't do anything about it. This is not the freedom I want. This is not the kind of democracy I want. It's worth nothing if it makes us bay for each other's blood. We are a failed society. I am sorry, my sisters. I am sorry, my mothers. I am sorry, Bharat Mata."