The Calcutta High Court on September 23 directed the Mamata Banerjee government to clarify its stand on the screening of filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s The Bengal Files. A division bench of Justice Sujoy Pal and Justice Smita Das De posed the question while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by petitioner Sayan Kangsabanik.
Kangsabanik argued that while the film was released nationwide on September 5 after clearance from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), its screening in West Bengal has been effectively stalled. The petitioner claimed that this violates citizens’ fundamental right to watch a certified film.
In his plea, the petitioner submitted that obstructing the release of a certified film amounts to creating obstacles for the entertainment industry. He further said that West Bengal residents were being denied access to a film available to audiences elsewhere in the country.
Director Vivek Agnihotri has accused the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) of using “political pressure and intimidation” to enforce what he described as an “unofficial ban” on the film in the state. While the state government has informed the filmmakers that no formal restrictions have been imposed, Agnihotri has alleged that theatre owners are being discouraged from screening the movie.
The High Court has directed the state to file its clarification by next Friday.
This is not the first legal challenge related to the film. Earlier this month, Justice Amrita Sinha of the Calcutta High Court dismissed a plea filed by the grandson of freedom fighter Gopal Chandra Mukherjee, popularly known as ‘Gopal Patha’. The petitioner objected to the portrayal of his grandfather in the movie, claiming the film inaccurately showed him as being involved in the events of August 16, 1946.
While rejecting the petition, the Court held that the petitioner could approach the competent forum for further remedies if necessary.
The Bengal Files revisits the August 1946 Calcutta killings, a blood-soaked chapter in India’s history triggered by the Muslim League’s call for Direct Action Day. The violence led to large-scale communal clashes, thousands of deaths, and eventually prompted Mahatma Gandhi’s peace fast at Beleghata.
The film features Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Saswata Chatterjee, Darshan Kumarr, and Sourav Das in leading roles. It is the third part of Vivek Agnihotri’s trilogy, following The Tashkent Files (2019) and The Kashmir Files (2022).
The film has sparked intense debate, with many calling it an attempt to stoke communal tension, while supporters argue it confronts uncomfortable truths about Bengal’s past. The High Court’s intervention now places the Mamata government under pressure to publicly clarify whether the film is facing political obstruction or not.
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