Vivek Agnihotri accused of cinemas in Bengal
Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri recently shared that his film ‘The Bengal Files’ cannot be released in West Bengal, and is demanding legal support for this.
Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri revealed that the producers of his film ‘The Bengal Files’ were considering the legal action, alleging that they were pressurizing the owners of the West Bengal government and the police theater not to screen the film in the state.
The film investigates the communal riots of August 1946 in Kolkata, which is known as Direct Action Day. It has already created controversy, facing disintegration with its trailer launch in the state capital and at least two Bengali actors have withdrawn their association from the project.
In front of the dramatic release of the film, Agnihotri told reporters in Mumbai, “Whatever the West Bengal government is doing is illegal and unconstitutional. We are planning to file a writ petition, but we will decide what happens tomorrow, and accordingly, we will take legal action.”
The director further said that the theater owners in West Bengal are being threatened not to proceed with screening. “A lot of theater owners, including officials of the leading multiplex chain, have said that if they release the film, the police are threatening them for serious consequences. They like, ‘What will we do if they destroy our property?” He said.
Earlier, Pallavi Joshi, the filmmaker’s wife and the co-producer of the film, An open letter was written to President Draupadi MurmuSeeking his support for the release of ‘The Bengal files’. He alleged that Vivek Agnihotri-director is facing the “informal ban”. Requested in West Bengal and the President to intervene in the matter. Joshi, who plays Maa Bharti in the film, accused Mamata Banerjee -led Trinumool Congress of threatening the exhibitors to prevent the film from screening in the state.
The film, presented by Tej Narayan Aggarwal and IM Buddha Productions, is part of Vivek’s files trilogy, including ‘The Kashmir Files’ and ‘The Teashant Files’. The film will appear in theaters on 5 September 2025.
