'You Will Salute The Bengal Files': Vivek Agnihotri Urges CM Mamata Banerjee Not To Ban His Film In West Bengal, Shares Video

Bollywood filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri has made an appeal to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ahead of the release of The Bengal Files. The film is all set to hit the theatres on September 5, however, Agnihotri feels that it will face a ban in West Bengal as several Trinamool Congress workers have protested against the film's release.

On Tuesday (September 2), the director shared a video on social media addressing the CM. He pointed out the concerns of exhibitors and talked about the political pressure they are facing in screening The Bengal Files in their theaters.

"Theatre owners are telling me that even if it is not banned, they have so much political pressure that they will have to pay a high price to show it. And that's why they are afraid to show it. The workers of your party are also asking to ban this film. That's why I request you, to release this film in West Bengal peacefully," the filmmaker said.

Further addressing Mamata Banerjee, Agnihotri said, "You have taken an oath of the Indian Constitution and to protect the rights of every citizen, the free speech of the people of India. CBFC has passed this film, which is a constitutional body. That's why it is your constitutional duty to release this film in peace."

Explaining why the film should release in West Bengal, Agnihotri stated, "India is the country that has been oppressed and enslaved for the longest time. For 1200 years, our culture, religion, identity, literature, art, architecture, were punished and destroyed. And there is a most horrific and painful chapter in it, of Bengal, where there was a Hindu genocide like Direct Action Day and Noakhali. And if that had not happened, then perhaps India would not have been divided. But all this was forgotten. Or maybe it was hidden."

"Bengal is the only state that has been partitioned twice. In 1905 and then in 1947. No one has given as much sacrifice as Bengal has. But does today's generation know this? If you think beyond the political sphere, like a true Indian, a true Bengali, then you will not ban this film. You will salute it. When films about Muslim, Christian, Dalit, or women's persecution can be made, then why not the darkest chapter of Hindu history, the darkest chapter of Hindu genocide?" he asked.

Through the video, he also questioned whether it is a crime to speak about the suffering of Bengal and its people. He clarified that the film is not against any community but against those who acted against humanity. He stressed that banning the film would also mean banning the truth of the Hindu genocides.

"I believe that the truth of the Hindu genocide of Direct Action Day and Noakhali can never be banned by a Bengali if he is not a member of the Muslim League. If you ban The Bengal Files today, then you also ban the soul, the pain, and the suffering of those victims of Hindu genocide. This film is not about hatred. It is a film about truth and healing," Agnihotri, who has written and directed the film, stated.

On a concluding note, he said, "So I appeal to you, please do not ban this film. Watch this film, understand it, debate it, but do not hide the truth. If we do not tell the story of Direct Action Day and Noakhali, then who will? If we do not say it now, then when will we say it? Still, if you feel that telling the truth about Hindu history, Hindu genocide, is a sin in India, then yes, I am a sinner. You can punish me as you wish."

About The Bengal Files

The film is set against the blood-soaked backdrop of West Bengal's violent political past. It presents a narrative drawn from real incidents and testimonies, focusing on accounts of violence in Bengal that, as the film suggests, have not been discussed in mainstream discourse.

Set against visuals of conflict and silence, the film attempts to explore themes of communal tension, political narratives, and historical memory.

The Bengal Files stars Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi, Anupam Kher, Simratt Kaur and Darshan Kumarr.