Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri: ‘The problem with JNU is that it has been brainwashing students’

Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri and Pallavi Joshi are back with a new series, The Kashmir Files Unreported, which will air on ZEE5 in August. As part of the series’ promotion, the creators visited the mesmerising Dal Lake, where they met the warm-hearted Kashmiri people and immersed themselves in the local sightings.

In a recent interview with Firtspost, when  Agnihotri was asked how JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) has shaped him being a product of the institute, he said, “My DNA is very different. I am not a kind of person, who can be shaped by institutes. I also went to Harvard and there is a very famous saying, that this is the Harvard gate and they say, if a horse goes in a horse will come out. But if an ass goes in an ass will come out. So, the thing is, I don’t think institutes can shape you and if it is happening, it’s a failure on the part of the institute. Institute should help you in critical thinking rather than shaping your mind in a certain direction.”

Agnihotri further added, “The problem with JNU is that it has been brainwashing students. This particular institute is creating certain kinds of students who thinks opposing everything just for the sake of it, is cool. Sometimes you need to do good for the society and just being a critic just doesn’t help. I have been a Naxal too and a leftist and have very intense politics, but I have learnt one thing that it is useless being a critic. You end up as a frustrated person and your contribution to society is nothing. I would say I have spent so much time in Bollywood and in JNU, it didn’t shape me in any way. I am who I am.”

The Kashmir Files Unreported promises to be a compelling exploration of untold stories, skilfully interweaving real-life anecdotes, survivor testimonies, and authentic archival footage. Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri and Pallavi Joshi set out on this journey with the intention of honouring the voices that have gone unheard for far too long. The series covers the historical, ethical, and geopolitical complexities that resulted in the heartbreaking massacre and mass departure of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley in the 1990s. The series stands as a poignant tribute to the tenacity of the Kashmiri Pandit community, a testament to their unwavering spirit in the face of adversity.