Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri has expressed his support for the writers' strike in Hollywood, more than a week after the protests began in the United States. Vivek took to Twitter on Saturday (May 13) and posted several photos of people protesting with banners. Vivek also wrote a note comparing Bollywood and Hollywood writers.
He tweeted: "In Hollywood, writers are on a strike. Have you ever seen any filmmaker or a Star of Bollywood ever even mention their writer’s name? Do you even know who are the writers of the biggest hits like Pathan or Bhool Bhulaiya or any other hit for that matter? That’s the sad story of Bollywood. But real".
Actor Gulshan Devaiah Reacted to the post, writing, "Dear good sir, don’t remember see you touring with your writers or your excellent research team, while campaigning for your releases. Start the change at home and then society shall follow." He also added, "I certainly don’t hate him, but I’m an idiot .. always been one".
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike last week, claiming they are not being paid fairly in the streaming era. "Despite our best efforts to strike a fair deal, the studios' responses to our proposals have been woefully inadequate, given the existential crisis that writers are facing". They have closed the door on their labour force and opened the door to writing as a completely independent profession. This membership would never consider such a deal," a portion of the statement read, as cited by news agency ANI.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents studio management in negotiations, responded by saying it was willing to improve on its offer but would not meet some of the union's demands.
Vivek's next film, The Vaccine War, will be released later this year. It focuses on India's contributions to the race to develop a Covid-19 vaccine during the pandemic. The Vaccine War, directed by Vivek, is set to open in 11 languages on Independence Day 2023. Among those who appear in the film are Anupam Kher, Nana Patekar, Sapthami Gowda, and Pallavi Joshi.