Bollywood filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, known for his outspoken views on socio-political issues, reacted to the waterlogging caused by a single spell of rain in Mumbai's upscale Napean Sea Road. On Monday (May 26), Vivek took a sharp dig at the country's urban planning and governance.
He shared a video of flooded streets of Napean Sea Road on his official X account and wrote, "Nepean Sea Road, home to India’s top billionaires, top ministers & officials chokes in one shower. So do Delhi, Bengaluru and other cities, year after year (sic)."
He added, "India's pathetic urbanisation is a scam wrapped in a sham. Poor ordinary citizens... but who cares?"
Take a look at his post here:
The director's post quickly went viral, resonating with citizens across metros who regularly face the brunt of poor drainage, crumbling roads, and monsoon mismanagement.
Vivek's post comes at a time when Mumbai experienced its first heavy rainfall of the season, resulting in severe waterlogging in even the city’s most elite neighbourhoods.
Monsoon arrives in Mumbai, creates havoc
Monsoon officially arrived in Mumbai on Monday, marking it the earliest monsoon onset in the recent history. "Southwest monsoon 2025 has onset over Mumbai on 26th May 2025," Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) Mumbai informed. The official date of monsoon arrival in Mumbai is June 11.
An orange alert for rainfall and thunderstorms has been issued for Mumbai, Thane and Palghar for May 26. The heavy downpour has resulted in water logging in low-lying areas, disrupted suburban railway service and road traffic disruptions.
Meanwhile, it is to be noted that Vivek is quite active on social media and he often voices his concern on various social and political issues.
On the work front, he is gearing up for the release of The Delhi Files. The project will release in two parts and the first part, titled Bengal Chapter, is slated to release in 2025. The film will be produced by Abhishek Agarwal through his banner Abhishek Agarwal Arts alongside Agnihotri's wife Pallavi Joshi.
Vivek's last directorial was The Vaccine War, which released in 2023. It starred Nana Patekar, Pallavi Joshi, Raima Sen, Anupam Kher, Girija Oak, Nivedita Bhattacharya.
