Even though his movie Buddha in a Traffic Jam is facing a lot of flak from premier institutions in the country, Vivek Agnihotri is confident that the story will find acceptance among students. He tells Arjita Mishra how the film is an autobiography of his student life
You took up quite a unique promotional strategy to get the buzz running for Buddha in a Traffic Jam. Why did you choose top colleges and universitiesIJ
Contrary to the popular belief, we have no strategy as we have no money. We don’t have even one TV spot, hoarding or print ads. Whatever has happened, has happened organically. I have an advertising background so I started making some digital posters with #IAmBuddha hashtag and slowly people started asking me about it. Certain curiosity developed. Then some students started asking me on Twitter if I’d be willing to screen it at their institutes and that’s how it began. Then JNU happened. Whatever we wrote and shot three years ago came true in JNU. It’s like ‘hence proved’ moment for us. ‘look we said it first’. Then JNU rejected our film. That was the trigger and I decided to show it to students all over the country. For the last 30 days I haven’t been back to Mumbai. I have been travelling with my assistant to ‘one institute a day’. We were invited by all IITs, B schools, IISc, Allahabad University, BHU, Punjab University, HP University, Pune University et al. And we are still going on. On a lighter note, I am now qualified to write a book on ‘How to market a film without marketing it’. (laughs)
Why is the film being touted as the most controversial filmIJ
Its a true story and the truth is always disturbing. The film exposes Naxal-NGO-Academia nexus. Obviously, they are not comfortable so they are trying to destroy the film. But how can truth be destroyedIJ Students have owned it now and that’s why I feel so safe with the film. On the other hand film mafia doesn’t want it to be released on the particular date — May 13. You figure out why.
Ours is a the world’s largest democracy. Then why is it that creative freedom is always curbedIJ
We believe in selective FoE. The film tackles both extremes — right of left. But the perception is that it’s anti left. It’s anti-extremism. In India, most intolerant people are generally the intellectuals and if they happen to be leftist then forget even self expression. But the more they try to stop this film from screening, the more students lap it up. It’s like a game between people who want it to be stopped and those who want to see it.
How does it feel that while the older generation is making a hue and cry of the content, the youth is appreciating itIJ
Older generation is generally rigid. They want students to think on their terms. Which is not acceptable to students. So, if students like this film, elders believe it’s not for them. Also, the older generation has grown up believing in Nehru’s utopian socialism. It’s not acceptable to them that what India needs now is an ‘economic revolution’. We need ideas. We need innovation. We need to eliminate middlemen. That’s not what is easily endorsed by the elders.
Considering the movie is an autobiographical sketch of your life, did it require any extra researchIJ
When the film is from your life, you don’t need additional research as your life itself is a R&D lab. I studied when students were brainwashed by professors that if we destroyed Government property or went on strike against the establishment, we will accomplish revolution and rid the society of poverty and corruption. I just picked up the story from there. It’s ironical that it came true in form of Kanhaiya at JNU.
Why did you cast Arunoday Singh for the movieIJ
I wanted someone who could represent aspirational India. My Buddha is an IITian who worked on Wall Street for a couple of years and is now back in India to complete his MBA. And Arunoday has exactly the same profile. And whoever has seen the film has said that it’s one of the finest performances in last four to five years.