A fresh controversy has erupted around filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s upcoming film The Bengal Files after Shantanu Mukherjee, grandson of prominent figure Gopal Mukherjee, lodged an FIR against the director. Shantanu has accused Agnihotri of distorting his grandfather’s identity and portraying him inaccurately in the film.
Gopal Mukherjee, popularly known as Gopal Patha, was a notable Bengali fighter who played a significant role in controlling the riots of 1946 and protecting Hindus from atrocities. However, Shantanu alleges that the film wrongly represents him, causing hurt to both the family and the community.
According to a report in India Today, Shantanu also issued a legal notice to Agnihotri, demanding a public apology for what he terms as the misrepresentation of his grandfather’s life. The trailer of the film introduces the character as "Ek Tha Kashai Gopal Patha", a description Shantanu strongly objects to.
He argued that his grandfather was not a butcher, as implied in the film, but rather a wrestler and an important member of the Anushilan Samiti, who played a decisive role in resisting Muslim League riots in 1946.
Shantanu said, "My grandfather was called Kasai (which means the butcher), also called Patha (means goat), which is disrespectful. I think Vivek Agnihotri should research more on this. From where did they get this wrong information? He has not contacted us either. That's why we are protesting this and will continue to do so. In protest, we have sent a legal notice to Vivek Agnihotri and also filed an FIR."
He further added, "He was a part of the freedom movement. His ideology matched with Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. He worked with several notable freedom fighters. How can anyone say he is Kasai or Patha?"
The controversy adds to the mounting challenges for The Bengal Files, which has already been surrounded by political debates and multiple FIRs in West Bengal.
About the film
The Bengal Files is written and directed by Agnihotri and produced by Abhishek Agarwal, Pallavi Joshi and Agnihotri. It stars Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi, Anupam Kher, Simratt Kaur and Darshan Kumarr. It is a part of Vivek’s Files trilogy that includes The Kashmir Files and The Tashkent Files.
The film is set to hit the big screens on September 5, 2025.
