Vikramaditya Motwane is by far one of the most celebrated filmmakers in India, admired both by casual viewers looking for a good story and by cinephiles who like to dig deeper into films. For instance, with Black Warrant, his work has been appreciated equally by critics and the masses.
However, industry insiders have revealed that this supposedly “perfect” man, often seen as a quiet visionary, a reluctant messiah, a filmmaker too pure for the grubby commerce of Bollywood, may not be all that he seems. Despite the carefully crafted image, he remains entangled in the very machinery he appears to critique.
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Those who have actually worked with Motwane, assistants, producers, crew members, and collaborators paint a very different picture. Behind the curated persona of a mild-mannered auteur and industry mentor lies a pattern of mediocrity, exploitation, and complicity in the same toxic behaviours that Bollywood’s so-called new wave claims to reject.
From underpaying collaborators and dangling false promises, to glorifying style over substance and shielding predatory associates, Motwane’s career offers a case study in how strategic positioning and PR can mask the truth in the business of Bollywood.
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While the media is busy portraying him as a messiah, he’s allegedly been busy being petty and exploitative.
When the recent news about Pratik Shah surfaced, some were quick to point out Motwane’s past association with similar incidents.
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Back in 2018, during the Phantom Films era, Vikas Bahl was accused of sexually assaulting a female crew member. Instead of taking immediate accountability, the company attempted a quiet cover-up.
Phantom set up an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) just before Bahl’s new film was due for release, an ICC headed by none other than Dipa De Motwane, Vikramaditya’s own mother. Unsurprisingly, it was seen as compromised.
Following public outrage, Phantom Films hastily announced its dissolution in October 2018. Motwane then tweeted, labelling Bahl a “sexual offender” and expressing regret for not doing more. This sudden moral clarity came two days after the company dissolved, conveniently when it was safe to distance himself and engage in PR-driven damage control.
A similar pattern emerged with Pratik Shah, who was set to be the cinematographer for Motwane’s Sourav Ganguly biopic. Shah was quietly removed from the project, yet no statement mentioned Motwane or his company, Andolan. All communication seemed to carefully omit their names.
Bollywood is undeniably a tough industry to navigate, and many are simply trying to keep their heads above water. But it’s important to remember that the big names people look up to and idolise aren’t always what they appear to be. Many have a side carefully hidden behind layers of calculated PR.
