Actor John Abraham of Bollywood recently declared that he would never work on films that influence political opinions, citing Chhaava and The Kashmir Files as examples. Vivek Agnihotri has now retaliated against John for his comments regarding his film in an interview with NDTV, and he has also asked him to refrain from making any more comments about films.

Vivek lashed out at John’s remarks and said, "John is not a historian, an intellectual, a thinker, or a writer. He has been making very, very jingoistic films like Satyameva Jayate too. He made Diplomat and all those kinds of films. He must have said (that) for a variety of reasons. If you had told me some great historian had said this, I would have understood it. I don't care about what he's saying."

Vivek added, "When was India's atmosphere not hyper-political? When was it that Hindu-Muslim and caste issues never existed in India? He is known for driving motorbikes, showing his body and eating protein—he should focus on those things. Filmon mein naa hi ghuse toh behtar hai (better if he doesn't get into talking about films)."

John stated in an interview with India Today that he would never produce films that have a political message.

He said, "I haven’t seen Chhaava, but I know that people have loved it—and also The Kashmir Files. But when films are made with the intent to sway people in a hyper-political environment and such films find an audience, that is scary for me. To answer your question, no, I have never been tempted, and I will never make those kinds of films.”