Vivek Agnihotri says Chak De! would have flopped with John Abraham, Dhan Dhana Goal with Shah Rukh Khan would’ve worked: ‘Why I quit Bollywood’

Vivek Agnihotri reveals how a director’s fate often becomes inseparably linked with the box office appeal of the star. He gave the example of his Dhan Dhana Goal and Chak De! which came out at the same time but got very different receptions from the audience.

Vivek Agnihotri recalls the failure of his film Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal.

By: Entertainment Desk

Mumbai | May 16, 2025 12:23 PM IST

4 min read

Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri has long been vocal about what he describes as the deep-rooted star-driven nature of Bollywood, where even directors and writers are forced to compromise their creative vision to serve the egos of major actors. In a recent recollection, Agnihotri opened up about the making of Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal, a film that, he says, exemplifies how a director’s fate becomes tethered to the stardom of the film’s lead. Originally, actor Saif Ali Khan was supposed to headline Goal, but when that didn’t materialize, the project eventually went to John Abraham. Agnihotri recalls how Abraham sent him a rather assertive message via producer Vikramaditya Motwane:

“Vikramaditya Motwane ke through yeh message bhejwaya ki, ‘Main footballer hoon. Agar main nahi honga toh iss film mein kaun hoga? Main champion footballer hoon… Khair woh alag kissa hai, usmein nahi jaunga… vyaktigat baat nahi karunga.’” (He sent a message through Vikramaditya Motwane saying, ‘I’m the footballer. If I’m not in this film, who else will be? I’m a champion footballer… Anyway, that’s another story, I won’t go into it… I don’t want to make it personal.’) Around the same time, Chak De! India, another sports drama, was released. Agnihotri recalls a conversation with a senior filmmaker who offered a blunt commentary on the dynamics of star power in the industry.

“Mujhe ek bade senior filmmaker, jinhon ne mujhse kaha — dekho Goal aur Chak De! dono lagbhag ek hi theme par hain. Matlab kya hai? Bharat hi jeetta hai ultimately dono mein. Wahan par ladkiyan hain aur yahan nikkame ladke. Unhone phir mujhse kaha, ‘Tum kuch mat karna… ek comma, full stop mat change karna… ek shot mat change karna. Sirf actor change kar do. Tum Shah Rukh Khan ko Goal mein daal do aur John Abraham ko Chak De! mein. Chak De! ka woh business ho jayega jo Goal ko hona chahiye tha aur Goal ka woh business ho jayega jo Chak De! ka hua tha’” (A senior filmmaker told me, ‘Look, Goal and Chak De! are both based on nearly the same theme. In both, India wins in the end. One has girls, the other has a bunch of useless boys. Don’t change a comma or full stop… don’t change a single shot. Just switch the actors. Put Shah Rukh Khan in Goal and John Abraham in Chak De! Then Chak De! will do the business that Goal was supposed to, and Goal will do the business that Chak De! did.’)

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The implication was clear: box office success was determined less by story or direction, and more by who starred in the film. Agnihotri, disillusioned by the conversation, asked the filmmaker, “Toh matlab humara kuch nahi hai?” (So, you mean we [the filmmakers] don’t matter at all?) The reply came, “Haan, tumhara kuch nahi hai.” (Yes, you don’t matter.) “That’s why I quit Bollywood,” Agnihotri said. “Phir maine apne hisaab ki independent films banani shuru ki.” (Then I started making independent films on my own terms.)

Agnihotri has previously spoken about his difficult experience working on Goal, especially regarding creative clashes with co-writer Anurag Kashyap and friction with John Abraham. He noted that Kashyap, a known heavy drinker at the time, was difficult to manage on set, and their creative visions for the film diverged significantly.

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Anurag Kashyap John Abraham Shah Rukh Khan Vivek Agnihotri