The Bengal Files surrounds the events during the Bengal violence of 1940s, focusing on the Great Calcutta Killings (Direct Action Day) and the Noakhali riots of 1946. Ahead of its release, Vivek Agnihotri’s film is facing several backlash and legal trouble. Here, let us look at what the row is all about.
The Bengal Files Row EXPLAINED: Vivek Agnihotri released the trailer for ‘The Bengal Files’ on August 16 in Kolkata, amid turmoil and a sudden end to the event. However, the trailer launching event was plagued by controversy, with the filmmaker claiming that officials attempted to prevent the movie’s trailer. The Bengal Files is the third instalment in Agnihotri’s “Files” trilogy, following ‘The Tashkent Files’ and ‘The Kashmir Files’. Agnihotri wrote and directed the film, which is co-produced by Abhishek Agarwal and Pallavi Joshi. The film surrounds the events during the Bengal violence of 1940s, focusing on the Great Calcutta Killings (Direct Action Day) and the Noakhali riots of 1946.
The Bengal Files cast
To be released on September 5, the film stars Mithun Chakraborty, Saswata Chatterjee, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Priyanshu Chatterjee, and Darshan Kumar in key roles.
Now let us dive into why Vivek Agnihotri’s film is facing backlash.
What is The Bengal Files controversy?
The film, which was earlier titled “The Delhi Files,” examines the religious conflict that broke out in Bengal in the 1940s, with particular attention to the Noakhali riots and the Great Calcutta Killings (Direct Action Day). The call for ‘Direct Action Day’ by the All-India Muslim League to demand a separate Muslim nation following the British withdrawal from India set off the Calcutta riots on August 16, 1946.
The Hindu community in Calcutta (now Kolkata) was the main focus of the widespread violence that resulted from this. Approximately 5000-10,000 people were killed and thousands injured during the four-day communal riots.
The trailer for The Bengal Files was initially supposed to be released in a prestigious movie theatre in Kolkata. However, citing “political pressure,” the theatre chain immediately cancelled the event. It was then moved to a hotel and unveiled at 1 PM. Agnihotri accused the West Bengal government of constructing roadblocks.
A top Kolkata Police official who talked with India Today about the situation and revealed that the organisers were not granted an amusement license, which is required for conducting such screenings.
What did the official say?
“The organisers had not secured the required licence from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, nor did they inform the local police in advance. We learnt about the event through other sources. When asked, the organisers were unable to produce the necessary licence, so we had to intervene,” the official said.
Row over Gopal Chandra Mukherjee’s depiction
In addition to the subject, the movie has generated controversy because of how Gopal Chandra Mukherjee is portrayed. Renowned Bengali fighter Mukherjee was instrumental in the struggle against the savagery of the Muslim mob during the 1946 riots. Agnihotri has been the subject of a police complaint from his grandson, Santanu Mukherjee, who claims that the film misrepresents his grandfather’s identity.
The filmmaker has received a legal complaint from Santanu requesting an apology for the purported misrepresentation of his grandfather’s identity. He asserts that the film’s depiction is damaging to the family and the community in addition to being untrue.
What Vivek Agnihotri said about the allegation?
Reacting to Santanu’s legal action, Vivek Agnihotri said, ” He works with the TMC and he is doing what is compulsory for him.” While speaking to the media in Delhi, he shared that he has portrayed Gopal Mukherjee as a hero. “He was a hero. I have showed him as a hero in the film. I have taken a small bit from his interview with the BBC, and taken what he said verbatim. I am aware that the people of Bengal regard him as a hero, and that is how I have shown him,” he added.
Why the title of the movie was changed?
Actor Saswata Chatterjee, who has a significant part in the movie, added to the controversy by stating that he was not aware of the title change. “While the shooting was going on, the name of the film was Delhi Files and after the shooting was done, I came to know that the name was changed to Bengal Files. That is not in my hands. I won’t understand why it happened, until I watch the film,” he told YouTube channel The Wall.
Also, Chatterjee disassociated himself from the historical controversy by declaring that he is only an actor and not a historian. He emphasised that he is unable to verify a story’s historical accuracy.
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