Earlier this week, filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri stirred up a row when he tweeted that a “colourful star” got awards for disastrous films, which left many wondering if it was an indirect dig at actor Ranveer Singh, who is known for his colourful sartorial choices. Now, he has come forward to set the record straight, saying it is not about the actor: “Ranveer is undoubtedly one of the most talented actors in the industry. But then, one should be awarded for good acting, not when one is not doing anything. Here, I’d like to mention that it is not Ranveer. It is not about him. It is about the way these award events function.”

He adds, “I don’t care who gets the award. My only contention is that these are all for-sale awards. Anybody who has the money and power can buy them. Or maybe somebody who is attending gets an award. I don’t understand why it is called an award function; it should just be called a festival or a get-together.”

The filmmaker says, “All these awards are like mockeries of creativity and of cinema. Every single award has 10-12 people, all those friends of each other. They are seen everywhere, as if nobody [else] exists in this industry.” He also asserts that change has become the need of the hour. “If we don’t change the way Bollywood is going, there will be nothing left to give any awards for,” he ends.