'No independent producers, no new stars, fake BO numbers': Why Vivek Agnihotri is rejoicing over a 'falling' Bollywood

Vivek Agnihotri is rather disillusioned with current Bollywood. Taking to X on Saturday, the ‘Kashmir Files’ director went on an extensive rant against the sore lack of independent producers and new actors in the industry who are hungry to tell a story and eager to take risks and experiment. He also added that directors who are enthusiastic about making good content have moved on to OTT.

“Today, Bollywood has hardly any independent producers. No new producers. No fresh ideas. No innovative distribution or marketing strategies. A few years ago, there were a dozen studios — now just two or three remain, and they too are monopolistic and here for reasons other than filmmaking. The passion for cinema has been replaced by corporate greed and agenda-driven content,” he wrote.
He elaborated on the challenges confronting the film industry, emphasizing that its very survival hinges on the presence of bankable star-actors. However, he lamented that there is an alarming dearth of promising new talent. When filmmakers seek to cast actors between the ages of 21 and 35, they find themselves at a loss—both male and female actors in this bracket are scarce.

Even the few who are available lack the necessary skills: they struggle with Hindi, fail to emote convincingly, and appear more preoccupied with maintaining an online presence than refining their craft. Despite having little to no substantial work to their credit, these young actors arrive on set with an entire entourage in tow—managers, social media strategists, personal