The Bengal Files Movie Review: Vivek Agnihotri’s The Bengal Files is bold and brutal, and made with the intent to leave a lasting impact on the viewers. Read on to know more.
The Bengal Files Movie Review: Vivek Agnihotri’s much-awaited film The Bengal Files – featuring Pallavi Joshi, Mithun Chakraborty and Saswata Chatterjee – doesn’t waste even a single second in hurling you headfirst into the chaos and carnage of Bengal in 1946. And it does so with the kind of urgency that will make you believe that you just can’t blink your eye. If you’ve watched Vivek Agnihotri’s ‘Files’ series before, you’d know that these aren’t easy or popcorn flicks. His films are bold, explore uncomfortable truths and force you ask uncomfortable questions. As expected, The Bengal Files too doesn’t play it safe. It’s raw, brutal and crafted with the intent to leave a lasting impact on the viewers.
The Bengal Files: What Is The Plot?
The Bengal Files Brings to the viewers the real and brutal story of Direct Action Day (August 16, 1946). This was a day in pre-Independent India when the Muslim League, under Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s direction, launched a brutal protest in Bengal after the Indian National Congress turned down its demand for a separate Pakistan. The film has its plot in Bengal’s Noakhali district and delves deeper into the region’s turbulent past. Just when you think that’s what it will be about, it fast-forwards to 2025, and makes the viewers meet Shiva Pandit (Darshan Kumaar). He plays an honest and fiery CBI officer who is given the case of a missing girl from a backward tribe. Since nothing in Vivek Agnihotri’s film is simple, Shiva’s search for the missing girl unravels into something much more unsettling.
Next, Shiva is given the names of two suspects. First, he is told about a woman – Bharti Banerjee (Pallavi Joshi Agnihotri) – who suffers from dementia and is said to have seen the girl last. Next name shared with Shiva is Sardar Husseini (Saswata Chatterjee) who could have been responsible for her sudden disappearance. But Husseini enjoys a massive following.
The Bengal Files: How good are the performances?
Vivek Agnihotri’s emotionally charged film doesn’t only leave an impact with its hard-hitting story, but also with the equally impactful and standout performances by its cast. Leading the pack are the younger and older version of the character Bharti – played impeccably by Pallavi Joshi Agnihotri and Simratt Kaur Randhawa. While Pallavi is totally phenomenal as an elderly woman, Simratt plays her part with grace and grit. Every sequence – whether it is of fear or silence – she speaks volumes. Simratt gets some of the best and powerful lines in the film. Her monologue wherein she talks about Bengal being more than just a piece of land remains the most powerful sequence. She wins several hearts with the depth and fire she infuses in her character. Mithun Chakraborty is absolutely brilliant as he plays a jaded cop. It is interesting to see how his real son Namashi Chakraborty gets into the skin of the character Ghulam. He’s pure menace. Eklavya Sood (Amar) and Darshan Kumaar remain intense and fierce in every sequence given to them.
Saswata Chatterjee slips effortlessly into the role of the stone-cold Husseini who shows no qualms in physically assaulting women. Saswata may maintain a conservative person for the public, but when at home, he stays modern. His onscreen wife Madalsa Sharma has just one sequence in the film. She plays the dutiful wife. Other actors including Divyendu Bhattacharya (Roychowdhury), Priyanshu Chatterjee (Justice Chatterjee), Puneet Issar (CBI chief), Mohan Kapur (Surhawardy), and Saurav Das (Gopal Patha play their parts well. Anupam Kher who is known for the several impeccable performances he has given in his career, doesn’t disappoint either. Rajesh Khera plays his part – Jinnah – with perfection.
The Bengal Files: Final Verdict
Don’t be surprised if The Bengal Files is hailed as another win for Vivek Agnihotri. The film stays with you for a longer time and some sequences will remain etched in your mind solely because of Vivek’s signature style of pulling no punches. He shows no qualms in diving into uncomfortable realities. Even though the film is impactful, trimming the runtime would have made its impact even more.
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