'The Bengal Files' Director Expresses Distress Over 1946 Riots Film Not Releasing in Bengal Theatres

Director Vivek Agnihotri has said that the producers of his new movie The Bengal Files are considering legal recourse, accusing the West Bengal government and police of intimidating theater owners into not releasing the film in the state.

The film, which explores the August 1946 communal riots in Kolkata—otherwise known as Direct Action Day—has already caused controversy. Its trailer release in Kolkata was disrupted, and at least two Bengali actors walked out of the project.

Addressing media persons in Mumbai before the release of the film, Agnihotri stated, "Whatever is being done by the West Bengal government is illegal and unconstitutional. We will file a writ petition, but we will take a decision depending on what will happen tomorrow, and accordingly, we will initiate legal proceedings."

He also alleged that theatre owners in West Bengal are being threatened in an attempt to prevent them from showing the film. "Many theatre owners, including the top multiplex chain officials, have told us that the police have been threatening them with dire consequences if they screen the film. They are saying, 'What are we to do if they come in and raze our building?'" he claimed.

Earlier, Pallavi Joshi, Agnihotri’s wife and co-producer of the film, penned an open letter to President Droupadi Murmu seeking her intervention for the release of The Bengal Files. She alleged that the movie is facing an "unofficial ban" in West Bengal and requested the President’s support. Joshi, who also portrays Maa Bharati in the film, accused the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress of intimidating exhibitors to block the screening in the state.

Directed by Tej Narayan Agarwal and produced by I Am Buddha Productions, The Bengal Files is a part of Vivek Agnihotri's Files trilogy, the other two being The Kashmir Files and The Tashkent Files. The release date of the film is September 5, 2025.