New Delhi [India], August 18 : After the trailer launch of 'The Bengal Files' was disrupted in Kolkata, filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri targeted the state government and said that "FIRs have been filed by ruling party members" on the makers.
A ruckus erupted during the release of 'The Bengal Files' trailer in Kolkata on August 16.
'The Bengal Files' features actors Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, and Pallavi Joshi. It is focused on the events of the "Direct Action Day," aiming to unveil the "most brutal chapter" of Indian history.
Speaking to ANI, Agnihotri said, "I am discovering the political scenario. I had thought how anybody can stop the trailer, but when we went to Kolkata, the multiplex refused to show the trailer after all the permissions in writing. Then, the hotel chain stopped showing the trailer. The police came..cut the wrire then I was told that the ruling party filed many FIRs as we stand here today, the FIRs are filed on us by the ruling party members and I have been told that ruling party has major objection on portrayal untold story of Hindu genocide. They have problem with that film about demographic change."
Reportedly, Shantanu Mukherjee, grandson of Gopal Mukherjee, filed an FIR against the director. Speaking about the same, he added, "I just don't want to speak as it is a legal matter, but I just want to give you a hint that a lot of people you are mentioning are trying to blackmail us for a long time. They are members of TMC, and that is why they are trying to put pressure on us, but we will take a legal course and solve it all."
On August 16, during the event at ITC Royal Bengal, the trailer was suddenly stopped, the director blamed the authorities, saying, "If this is not dictatorship/fascism, then what is? Law and order in your state has failed, and this is the reason that everyone supports 'The Bengal Files'. I have just got to know that some people came here (event venue in a private hotel) and cut all the wires. I don't know on whose orders this is happening? You know who those people are behind us. After all tests and trials, this programme was being held. The hotel managers still can't tell us why we are not allowed to continue with our programme."
While speaking to the media, he highlighted the issue and shared, "Police aur party workers ne milkar unconstitutionally hamare trailer ko radd kiya bharat ke ithihas mein kayi filmein ban huyi hai..shayad pehli baar bharat ke itihaas mein ek state government ne ek film ke trailer ko ban kiya hai. This is very scary and worrisome. Jinhone Indian constitution ki oath li hai, hamare judges, ministers, Chief Ministers, ye log Indian constitution ki oath lete aur Indian constitution mein ye likha gaya hai ki state officials jo hai inka ye dharm hai ye duty hai ki ye common logon ke rights ko protect karenge, especially their free speech and safety. Lekin agar rakshak hi bhakshak ban jaye to koi kya lad sakta hai?"
He also shared that the film got a good response in the US, "aur hum ko waha ka Capitol Hill mein invite kiya gaya, 'The Bengal Files' ko present karne ke liye."
He said that after taking fresh permissions, the team shifted the launch to the hotel in Kolkata. "We called journalists to watch the trailer. As soon as it was played, the hotel manager suddenly came on stage and said it could not be screened," Agnihotri said, claiming that all the preparations were "done in front of the manager."
"When the media asked the manager about the issue, we got information that the police and TMC members were on their way to stop the release," Agnihotri alleged.
Pallavi Joshi elaborated on the entire incident that happened on August 16: "I was saying that day before yesterday we were trying to launch the trailer of our film in Kolkata, and it was forcibly stopped by the state government and the police. And since then, we've been getting a lot of calls from the media, but instead of talking to each one separately and giving the same answers, we thought that as responsible producers, as responsible filmmakers, we should all come in one place and speak in one voice.
Because this is not just a film, this is, in our perception. Whatever happened the day before yesterday, we look at it as a threat to our democracy plain and simple."
Agnihotri earlier opened up on the cancellation of the trailer launch event of 'The Bengal Files' by a leading movie theatre chain and why he decided to unveil the trailer on August 16.
He said, "Mai America se aaya aur seedhe Kolkata pahucha kyunki trailer launch tha and movie trailers are generally launched in theatres; however, when I reached the airport, I came to know that one of the largest multiplex chains said that they can't do it because there is a lot of political pressure and if they do it, there will be a political turmoil. So we spoke to another multiplex, they also said 'sorry sir', there is a lot of political pressure, we can't do it'. If we had known this from the start, why would we have taken on so many teams and actors and spent so much money to come here?"
The film explores the communal violence in undivided Bengal during the 1940s, including events like the 1946 Direct Action Day and the Noakhali riots of 1946, a Hindu genocide.
He added, "Aur Direct Action Day, Hindu genocide, Murshidabad riots, film ka trailer kahan launch hona chahiye? Kolkata mein hi hona chahiye. Par mai bhi harne vaalon me se nahi hu, to aisa pehli baar ho raha hai mera ye andaaz hai ki film ka trailer theatre ki jagah hotel ke banquet hall mein..but mai janna chahta hu hamari awaaz dabane ki koshish kyu ho rahi hai.(And where should the trailer of the film dealing with Direct Action Day, Hindu genocide, Murshidabad riots, be launched? It should be launched in Kolkata only, but I'm not one of the losers, so this is happening for the first time. I guess the trailer of the film is being launched in the banquet hall of a hotel instead of a theatre. To hamari awaaz ko dabane ki koshish kyu ki ja rahi hai (but I want to know why efforts are being made to suppress our voice.)"
'The Bengal Files' is slated to hit theatres on September 5, 2025.
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