Director Vivek Agnihotri has alleged that the Kolkata Police prevented the trailer launch of his film, 'The Bengal Files'. Agnihotri claimed that the event, scheduled at a private hotel, was disrupted after unknown individuals cut the wires. "If this is not dictatorship/fascism, then what is?" he asked.
He suggested that the incident proved the film's importance, stating, "Law and order in your state has failed, and this is the reason that everyone supports 'The Bengal Files'." He added that the hotel management could not provide a reason for the cancellation, despite the event having gone through all the necessary permissions.
This is the second time in as many days that Agnihotri has claimed a planned event for his film was cancelled. On Friday, he posted a video on X alleging that a leading movie theatre chain had also cancelled a trailer launch. He claimed the chain cited "political pressure" as the reason.
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'The Bengal Files' is set against the backdrop of communal violence in undivided Bengal during the 1940s. The film is scheduled to be released in cinemas on September 5. The trailer for the film was eventually unveiled on Saturday, coinciding with Direct Action Day (August 16). The film's synopsis states it sheds light on the massacre of Hindus that occurred in the aftermath of the Partition.
Actor Pallavi Joshi, who is also involved in the film, echoed Agnihotri’s frustration. “I absolutely did not like the way my film was stopped,” she said. She questioned the state of freedom of expression in West Bengal, asking, “What is the threat they are feeling?" Joshi even suggested that the situation in Kashmir might be better than in Bengal, given that similar issues had not occurred there. She added that films like 'The Bengal Files' are important for showing “the truth about Bengal”. Joshi called on every person in India to watch the film and urged the state to “give respect to artists”.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh lashed out at Agnihotri, accusing him of manufacturing controversy for political gain. “He is doing drama in the name of direction. His films are politically motivated and aimed at creating division. Why didn’t he make Gujarat Files? Why didn’t he show what happened to Bilkis? Why not UP Files?” Ghosh asked.
He, further, alleged that Agnihotri and his team had come to Bengal “in the interest of the Bharatiya Janata Party” and demanded that they be declared “undesirable” in the state. “They should be thrown out, but this is not being done because Bengal is a democratic state,” he added.
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