Vivek Agnihotri describes how ambitious actors suffer in Bollywood, some give up, some turn to drugs, etc. He claimed people become disoriented in the quest for approval.
Vivek Agnihotri has shared an ‘inside story’ about Bollywood. He said it’s not just a hub of talent but also a ‘cemetery’ of talent. He talked about how those who don’t acquire the expected level of success get entangled in the vicious circle of showbiz without any income and power but are forced to fake it.
Director of Kashmir Files: “What you see is not Bollywood. The real Bollywood can be found in its seedy lanes. Its interior is so gloomy that the average person cannot imagine it. You can find crushed, trampled, and buried dreams in these gloomy streets. If Bollywood is a talent museum, then it must also be a talent graveyard. It is not about being rejected. Everyone who visits here is aware that rejection is a part of the experience. Tender ambitions, hopeful expectations, and faith in any sort of humanity are crushed by humiliation and exploitation. Food is not necessary to life, yet it is impossible to maintain respect, self-worth, and optimism without them. No child from the middle class grows up dreaming of being in that circumstance.
He said, “It hits so hard that instead of putting up a fight, one gives up. It hits so hard that the failed ones wind up in a never-ending conflict. The fortunate ones return home. Who continue, separate. Those who experience some accomplishment but not true success turn to drugs, alcohol, and other potentially fatal activities. They now require money. They are so exposed to various forms of joke money. The riskiest success is some of it. You have no authority or money in show business.
He said this “hollow race of validation” brings them back to where they started from – “the dark hole, which keeps getting deeper and deeper with each race.” He added, “You show off, nobody sees. You scream, no one hears. You cry, no one cares. All you find is surrounded by people laughing at you. You bury your dreams. Quietly. But then you find people dancing on the grave of your dreams. Your failure becomes their celebration. You are a dead man walking. Irony is nobody can see you are dead except for you. One day, you literally die. And then the world sees you.”
