Srinagar: Bollywood director Vivek Agnihotri is no stranger to controversies as his unfiltered comments often grab headlines.
This time, when the director, who is currently in Kashmir with his team for shooting his upcoming film The Kashmir Files, tweeted seeking change in the Kashmiri Wazwan, netizens trolled forcing the director to delete his tweet.
Wazwan is a multi-course mutton cuisine usually served to guests during functions in Kashmir. The spicy and flavoured cuisine ranges from seven to 25 mutton dishes.
It all started when Agnihotri, who is also a member of India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), posted two pictures of him and his team having food which looked like a vegetarian Thali in some local hotel. The director claimed it to be “Vegetarian Wazwan” and this didn’t go well with Kashmiri netizens who accused the director of defiling the Traditional Kashmiri cuisine, “Wazwan”.
“Nobody knows how to make a vegetarian Wazwan in Kashmir. But I am here to bring about change. #TheKashmirFiles,” he tweeted.
However, Kashmiri Twitterati were quick to react.
One of them while replying to the tweet wrote: “Those who know Kashmir and Kashmiri culture, know it well, there is no such thing as ‘vegetarian Wazwan’. Don’t prove yourself a fool yet again by pressing these statements!” tweeted a user Behisht Shabir
Been here for three years — never seen anything more beautiful, and tastier, than a Kashmiri Wazwan. Don't be an colonialist.
And what in hell is that in the plate?! Keep it away. https://t.co/9tX6tabcqH
— Yashraj Sharma (@yashjournals) January 14, 2021
User Yashraj Sharma (@yashjournals) tweeted, “Been here for three years — never seen anything more beautiful, and tastier, than a Kashmiri Wazwan. Don’t be a colonialist. And what in hell is that in the plate?! Keep it away.”
Little knowledge is dangerous thing
Vivek. (Firdous)Wazwan is a traditional food of Central Asian countries. It has no religious color that you want to show it to stupid people. What do you want to call Central Asian art & culture such as carpets, handicrafts, shawls & saffron? https://t.co/p4t8pJeuKN pic.twitter.com/rg18rVH0aE
— Mushtaq Ali (@Mushtaq_Ali_1) January 14, 2021
“Little knowledge is dangerous thing Vivek. (Firdous) Wazwan is a traditional food of Central Asian countries. It has no religious color that you want to show it to stupid people. What do you want to call Central Asian art & culture such as carpets, handicrafts, shawls & saffron?” tweeted user Mushtaq Ali.
There’s a famous saying in Kashmir, which goes like “shikasladas ti waazebatas kaem kyah”, which roughly translates as "a broke has nothing to do with wazwan"… Our ancestors would have said that after meeting such people….!!! https://t.co/feAACoFBxv
— pointblank_peephole (@AnwarShuayb) January 14, 2021
https://twitter.com/rj_vijdan/status/1349710541263015936?s=20
Another user Anwar Shuayb tweeted, “There’s a famous saying in Kashmir, which goes like “shikasladas ti waazebatas kaem kyah”, which roughly translates as “a broke has nothing to do with wazwan”… Our ancestors would have said that after meeting such people….!!!”
Vivek Agnihotri, known for his right-wing bigotry, has been in the news due to multiple reasons.
Earlier he was accused of inappropriate behaviour during the filming of Chocolate by the Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta.
He has been accused of sharing misleading content on Twitter by the fact-checkers.
In September 2018, Twitter locked his account until he agreed to delete a tweet abusing Swara Bhaskar. The tweet was interpreted as calling Swara a prostitute. Agnihotri defended his tweet and said he was making a point about the placarding by liberals at selective instances of alleged perpetrators belonging to the Hindu community.
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