Director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri is never shy of controversies. Recently, his film The Kashmir Files was selected as the Best Film at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival awards. The director took to Twitter to make the announcement and wrote that his film had won at the Dadasaheb Phalke Awards 2023, which created confusion. It should be noted that the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival awards are different from the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, which is given annually by the Government of India for lifetime achievement in the Indian film industry. Also, while the Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival award is private, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award is given by the government.

AltNews fact-checker Mohammed Zubair took to Twitter recently to clarify Vivek’s tweet. “Here's why Mr. @vivekagnihotri hates Fact-Checkers,” he wrote and shared screenshots of tweets and articles fact-checking the director’s statement.

Vivek responded angrily to Mohammed’s tweet and wrote, “No, my dear… I don’t hate fact-checkers, I hate when puncture repairers pretend to be fact checkers. Because you are nothing but just a jehadi pimp of India’s enemies & I know very well who is behind you. हर ज़िहादी का वक़्त आता है और तेरा वक़्त जल्दी आने वाला है, संभल के रहो (Every Jihadi’s time comes, yours will come soon too, brace yourself)”

Vivek’s comments were condemned by the Twitterati who called the statement “Islamophobic” and “targeting a religious community.” “Just say you hate Muslims no. why pretend and hide behind this filthy language that angsty teenagers in school use?” tweeted one. “You don’t have to announce everyday that you are a proud racist Islamophobe. Your film already did that,” wrote another.

The Kashmir Files was in the centre of controversy last year also after Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid called it a “vulgar, propaganda” film at the International Film Festival of India that was held in Goa.