Vivek Agnihotri has made a name for himself. He creates films that dig into historical events, often sparking big conversations. His latest project, The Bengal Files, is no different. It’s facing a wave of trouble even before its official release.
The trouble began in Kolkata. The film’s trailer launch turned chaotic, forcing the police to step in and stop the event. This uproar brought the filmmakers to Delhi. On Monday, Agnihotri, along with co-producer Abhishek Agarwal and actress Pallavi Joshi, held a press conference. They spoke openly about the film and its controversies.
During the conference, a short documentary played. It showed the extensive research behind The Bengal Files. The team spoke with many people affected by riots from a specific time period. They gathered a lot of information for the film.
Pallavi Joshi, who is also a producer, shed light on the series of films they are making. She explained that they are creating a trilogy about India’s democracy. The first film, The Tashkent Files, was about the right to know the truth. It asked questions about the mysterious death of India’s second Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri. The second film, The Kashmir Files, focused on the right to justice. It highlighted the plight of millions of Kashmiri Pandits who had to leave their homes and still await justice. Now, The Bengal Files is the third film. It speaks about the right to live. Each film in this series tells a different true story.
Director Vivek Agnihotri spoke about how The Bengal Files came to be. He mentioned talking with many survivors of the events depicted. He stated their research covered an incredible 18,000 pages. Agnihotri believes no Indian filmmaker has done such deep research before. He stressed that good research is a filmmaker’s duty. He even compared its importance to the Gandhi film. That movie, made with government help, shared India’s fight for freedom with the entire world. That’s why you can find a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in most major countries today. This shows how powerful a film on such a topic can be.
Agnihotri then showed a video of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He claimed this video was from a year or a year and a half ago. At that time, his team was in West Bengal doing research. He said his team was held at a hotel for two days. They were basically "hotel arrested." He claims Mamata Banerjee had said then that she wouldn’t let The Bengal Files team come to her state. According to him, she decided a year and a half ago that the film wouldn’t be shown in Bengal.
The director also explained that many historians and experts helped make this film. When they showed it to the Censor Board, many questions came up. The board called in India’s top historians to review it. The filmmakers answered every question with many pages of evidence. After a thorough review, the film passed the Censor Board without any cuts. Later, they showed the film in different places in America. All the theaters were completely full.
The Kolkata trailer launch was indeed chaotic. Police stopped the event, causing anger from Vivek Agnihotri and Pallavi Joshi. They spoke against the state government’s actions. Now, in Delhi, Agnihotri and Joshi used their press conference to discuss these issues and answer questions about the ongoing situation.