Filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, known for The Kashmir Files and The Tashkent Files, declared on Monday that he will pursue legal action if the release of his upcoming film The Bengal Files is obstructed in West Bengal. The statement follows disruptions at the film’s trailer launch in Kolkata on August 16, where a multiplex canceled the event, and a subsequent hotel venue faced power cuts and police inquiries about permissions. Agnihotri, speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, criticized the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, expressing hope that “sanity prevails” to allow the film’s release on September 5.

The Bengal Files, starring Mithun Chakraborty, Saswata Chatterjee, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Priyanshu Chatterjee, and Darshan Kumar, depicts the Calcutta riots of August 16, 1946, sparked by the All-India Muslim League’s ‘Direct Action Day’ for a separate homeland. The film has stirred controversy, notably with an FIR filed by Santanu Mukherjee, grandson of Gopal Chandra Mukherjee, a historical figure portrayed in the film. Santanu alleges the film misrepresents his grandfather as a “butcher.” Agnihotri clarified that Gopal Mukherjee’s character is inspired, not central, and is depicted as a hero based on a BBC interview, dismissing the allegations as politically motivated due to Santanu’s TMC affiliations.

Agnihotri emphasized that The Bengal Files, part of his focus on Hindu civilization and untold Indian stories, was approved by the Central Board of Film Certification without cuts after rigorous scrutiny. He defended the film’s integrity, stating it was made with “responsibility and sincerity” to make Bengalis proud. As legal challenges loom, Agnihotri remains resolute, asserting his commitment to revealing historical truths through cinema while preparing to counter any attempts to suppress the film’s release through constitutional means.

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