This Is The One Thing Vivek Agnihotri Would Like To Change About India

When filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri opened the doors of his Mumbai home for Sunday Brunch with Kamiya Jani, our Editor-in-Chief, it was far from a typical celebrity interview. A splash of diet-freak vegetarian dishes and a non-vegetarian spicy meal of chops cooked at home was laid at the table. Our conversation with the beloved filmmaker and his wife, and National Award-winning actor Pallavi Joshi, quickly turned from food to a vision for the country’s future.

Vivek Agnihotri Says This One Thing Can Improve India

Vivek Agnihotri, known for films like The Kashmir Files, didn’t stop to think when our editor asked him what he would change about India. He wittily said “ab mooh mat khulwao,” but then proceeded to answer. “Corruption,” he said, adding that if India could rid itself of this one problem and tighten its systems, the country would have everything it needs to rise to the very top. “We can easily be the World’s No. 1 country,” he remarked with quiet certainty.

To explain, he pointed to something most of us overlook on a daily basis: our roads. Notice them when you’re driving home today, he told our editor. They’re often wider than the ones abroad and beautifully lined with trees. The potential is all there, but then you see a road sign, tilted to one side, or a politician’s poster pasted on it. 

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He Wishes To See This Change

It was less a complaint than an observation, the kind that comes from someone who has spent time reflecting on how everyday inefficiencies show deeper cracks. For Agnihotri, the problem isn’t a lack of resources or ambition. It’s that corruption and neglect, however subtle, that slow down the nation’s ability to live up to its promise.

The brunch itself was filled with laughter and stories, but Agnihotri’s words carried a sharper note. His argument was simple: if corruption is weeded out and systems are made to work as they’re supposed to, India’s natural strengths, with its infrastructure, talent, and scale, would speak for themselves.

For a filmmaker often in the headlines for his outspoken views, this was more like a personal conviction. He spoke less like a director and more like a normal citizen who wishes only wellness and development for his country. And in that everyday detail, he found the larger metaphor: India is ready, but the system needs to catch up.

Also Read: Vivek Agnihotri Doesn’t Eat Anything That Has A Face Or A Mother!

The episode may have started as a casual Sunday brunch, but by the end, it became a conversation about what it would take for India to lead the world, and the answer, in Agnihotri’s mind, lies in solving one problem that affects everything else.

Cover Image Courtesy: Internal