Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, best known for The Kashmir Files, alleged that the West Bengal government and local police interfered with the trailer launch of The Bengal Files on August 16 at ITC Hotel in Kolkata. The filmmaker said that despite obtaining all necessary permissions, the screening was suddenly halted midway by the hotel management under alleged pressure from the authorities.
“The real question is who stopped the screening? This is extremely scary and worrisome. Those who take an oath to uphold the Constitution have a responsibility to protect the rights of citizens. But agar rakshak hi bhakshak ban jaye to koi kya lad sakta hai (if the protector turns into the predator, how can anyone fight back?),” Agnihotri remarked.
Originally titled The Delhi Files, the movie delves into the communal unrest of the 1940s in Bengal, focusing on the Great Calcutta Killings (Direct Action Day, 1946) and the Noakhali riots. Agnihotri said the film seeks to highlight a chapter of Indian history often ignored in mainstream discourse.
Produced jointly by Pallavi Joshi and Abhishek Agarwal, the movie features an ensemble cast including Mithun Chakraborty, Saswata Chatterjee, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Priyanshu Chatterjee, and Darshan Kumar. It is slated for release on September 5.
Agnihotri further claimed that as soon as The Bengal Files began receiving global attention, including an invitation to showcase at Capitol Hill in the United States, multiple FIRs were filed in Bengal against the filmmakers, allegedly by TMC leaders.
“Instead of opposing us, the Bengal government should have welcomed us, because a detailed movie on Bengal’s culture and history could not have been made otherwise,” he said.
According to Agnihotri, the team had initially scheduled the trailer release in a major Kolkata cinema chain. But the event was cancelled unofficially amid fears of “stone pelting.” The launch was then shifted to ITC Hotel, where journalists had gathered to witness the unveiling.
“As soon as the trailer started playing, the hotel manager came on stage and stopped it. When media asked questions, we were told that police and TMC members were on their way to halt the event. Suddenly, several people entered who had no connection with the press; they were members of TMC and local police,” Agnihotri alleged.
The Bengal Files is the third installment in Agnihotri’s ‘Files’ franchise, after the critically debated The Tashkent Files and the box-office hit The Kashmir Files. Like its predecessors, the film attempts to revisit controversial and politically sensitive chapters of Indian history through cinema.
