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 …