About

vivek ranjan agnihotri official website

Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri is a national award winner filmmaker, best-selling author and a public intellectual.

An ex-advertising man, Vivek is a popular public speaker on socio-political issues ‘Creative Thinking’ and ‘Innovation’ in top global institutes. Vivek is a ‘Indic Culture’ crusader. 

His prophetic cult film, ‘Buddha In A Traffic Jam’ dealt with the theme of Urban Naxalism and exposed the sinister nexus between the Naxals, Media, NGOs, terrorists and the academia. The film faced extreme resistance from the Left and was stuck for five years before Vivek travelled all across India to show his film, encountering few violent assault on him, to curb his freedom of speech.

Vivek’s latest film ‘The Tashkent Files’ based on the mysterious death of India’s second Prime Minister Shri Lal Bahadur Shashtri in Tashkent, went on to become the most successful films of recent times. Despite a boycott by mainstream film critics and shadow-banning by the media and Bollywood the film ran for an unheard of 100+ days. Because of the film’s unprecedented and historical success, the prestigious Film & TV director’s association, IFTDA, in a rare gesture, felicitated Mr. Agnihotri.

“The Tashkent Files’ has been included as a case study in official curriculums of IIM Ahmedabad and Media Studies of Mumbai University. 

Vivek’s debut book ‘Urban Naxals’ broke all records and became the fastest selling #1 bestseller. Today the term ‘Urban Naxals’ is used as a legit term and is being accepted as a political reality by the political analysts, media and the government of India. After the book exposed the lethal nexus, many Urban Naxals were arrested to reconfirm Vivek’s hypothesis.

Vivek’s next book ‘Who Killed Shastri’ published by Bloomsbury has been critically acclaimed and despite being launched in the middle of a complete national lockdown due to Covid19, it has been the most successful book of 2020-21 an still growing in the second lockdown.

Vivek is a passionate public speaker on Indic Civilisation and culture, besides speaking on ‘Creative Consciousness’ and ‘Success Plus’. Vivek has spoken on some of the prestigious platforms including Ted, Harvard University Conclave, Neeti Aayog, Ideas India Conclave, World Hindu Congress, Indo-US Chamber of Commerce, FICCI, etc. Vivek is frequently invited to speak in various universities including Purdue, Columbia, UNC, Huoston University, Ohio State University in USA, Oxford University, Kings college in UK and IITs, IIMs, National Law University, BHU, JNU, DU, Mumbai universities etc.

Vivek Agnihotri served as Chairman of the international Jury of International Film Festival of India and on the jury of National Film Awards. He is served as the Secretary of Indian Film Director’s association and Screenwriters Association of India.

Vivek is currently serving as the member of CBFC board and as the cultural representative of Indian Council for Cultural Relations.   

Vivek is currently making an epic film ‘The Kashmir Files’ on the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus in 1990. Vivek has travelled across the globe to record the testimonials of the first-generation victims of the genocide. The film was scheduled to release in August 2021 but due to a lockdown, it’s been postponed till the cinema halls open again.

Vivek has won the most prestigious National Film award for his 2019 film ‘The Tashkent Files’ for Best Screenplay. The film also won a National film Award for the ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for his wife Pallavi Joshi who played a very complex character in the film. Vivek has won several national and international awards. 

Vivek has made a short film ‘Muhammad & Urvashi’ which broke the internet with unprecedented views and was highly acclaimed. It won many international and national awards.

Vivek is married to national award-winning actor Pallavi Joshi and has two children, Maalika and Manan.

Vivek founded ‘I am Buddha Foundation, with his wife. This NGO mentors and trains disadvantaged youth in creative thinking and empowers them in creative fields. During Covid Crisis, I Am Buddha Foundation has ran special campaigns to provide free psychiatric help to youth from entertainment, films and creati8ve fields. IABF has also helped children and their families who have suffered due to the pandemic. IABF has conducted a month long ‘The festival of Life’ with world’s top thought leaders and an international fundraiser concert with top artists.

 Vivek runs his YouTube channel #VRATV which has been running daily podcast on Covid related news, updates, data and analysis.

Vivek is an avid traveller, columnist and a social media influencer.

Background

Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri is a son of Freedom fighters and highly acclaimed family awarded by the president for their contribution to Indian society.

Education

Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri did his graduation in science and post graduation in Planning (Economics) from School of Social Science, Bhopal University. He further studied advertising at Indian institute of Mass Communication, Delhi. Vivek then pursued ‘Organisation & Management’ course (CSS) at Harvard University.

Vivek led a social movement in USA to raise funds for the victims of the ‘Bhopal gas Tragedy’.

Vivek returned to India to participate in building of a ‘New India’.

Work

  • Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri worked in world’s top agencies like J. Walter Thompson, Ogilvy & Mather, MacCann and led major campaigns for Maggi, Nestle, P&G, Gillette, Coca Cola etc.
  • Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri has been part of the Launch team of Gillette and Coke.
  • Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri started his own advertising agency in Delhi – Art Beat and it was adjudged as ’10 fastest growing agencies’ by Bussiness Today
  • Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri made an award winning documentary on ‘Social Justice in India’.
  • Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri started ‘Vivek Agnihotri Creates’ and produced and directed major campaigns for Vicks, Godrej, P&G, Dainik Bhaskar, Govt of India, Blind Association of India.
  • Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s public service Ad film on ‘AIDS’ won him most prestigious A&M Gold award and Ad Club Gold Award for creative excellence and contribution to the society.
  • Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri has been pioneer in TV shows. He has written, directed and produced over 300 hours of Prime TV shows like Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum, Rishtey, Saturday Suspense, X-Zone, Anubandh, Asambhav, winning many awards and critical acclaim.
  • Vivek was popularly known as ‘thriller king’.

Filmography

YearTitle RoleCast
2005ChocolateWriter/ Director/ editorAnil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Emran Hashmi,
Suneil Shetty, Tanushree Dutta
2008GoalDirectorJohn Abraham, Arshad Warsi, Boman Irani, Bipasha Basu
2012Hate StoryDirectorGulshan Deviah, Paoli Dam, Nikhil Dwivedi
2016Buddha In A Traffic JamWriter / Director / ProducerAnupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Arunoday Singh, Pallavi Joshi
2019The Tashkent FilesWriter / Director / ProducerMithun Chakraborty, Naseeruddin Shah, Pallavi Joshi, Pankaj Tripathi
Shweta Basu Prasad, Prakash Belawade, Mandira Bedi
To be releasedThe Kashmir FilesWriter / Director / ProducerMithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Darshan Kumar,
Puneet Isssar and hundreds of kashmiri Refugees
2018Mohammad & Urvashi
(Short Film)
Writer / Director / ProducerMayukh Ray, Khushboo
2019Bharat Ki Baat
(Web series)
Writer / Director / ProducerHost: Pallavi Joshi

“My bio is a reminder of what I haven’t achieved. At this point of time in my life, I believe my sole purpose is to learn as much as possible about our magical Mother Nature, our diversified cultures, human excellence and the divine force that integrates the cosmos – The Creative Consciousness. Being able to look at things from a fresh perspective, which is my observation, my perspective and being able to express it in my original voice. 

“I am learning. Each moment. Sharing my learnings with you helps test these learnings. My learnings have no value if they remain only my learnings. That will be ego. Hence, this website.

“I have dedicated my life to learn about ‘Creative Consciousness’©, for I have learnt thus far that without ‘Creative Consciousness’© one just can’t succeed. And we need success. As a specie, humans have learnt to be successful materialistically, now is the time to be successful holistically, what I call ‘Success Plus’©’.’

‘Welcome to this exploration.”

-VRA