Vivek Agnihotri's film The Bengal Files, based on the Direct Action Day and the Calcutta riot in 1946, has triggered a backlash ever since the trailer was launched in Kolkata on August 16, 2025. While the Indian audience awaits its release this Friday, September 5, the film, which has been running in theatres in North America for the past month, has received a positive response, where the masses are calling it "harrowing" and "essential."
What's Happening
- It is a mix of intense and emotional responses, with the foreign reviews of The Bengal Files pouring in.
- Journalist Avatans Kumar said, "Film The Bengal Files by @vivekagnihotri is a meticulously crafted cinematic portrayal of real events. It vividly brings to life the political turmoil of 1946, including the Noakhali Hindu massacre."
- Another earlier review stated, "A difficult film to watch but an important one because it addresses the suppressed generational trauma of the events in 1946-1947. It balances the stories we know from the Partition in Northern India with events that preceded it by a year in Eastern India."
- A Google reviewer called the film "gut-wrenching" as he wrote, "A must see, show it to your young adult Children. The Bengal Files is a hard-hitting, gut-wrenching portrayal of the forgotten Hindu genocide in Eastern India. It exposes centuries of relentless persecution over 1,400 years, culminating in the horrors faced during and after the Muslim invasions. This is not just a film; it's a wake-up call to remember a history that has been silenced for too long. Tragically, this is not only history - the same Hindu genocide continues today, with atrocities as recent as March 2025 in Murshidabad, West Bengal. It is a chilling reminder that these patterns of violence are not confined to one place - they echo across the world in various cities."
- Director Vivek Agnihotri has himself been amplifying several clips from the screenings abroad. Some critics are against it, while supporters state that it clearly shows the resonance that The Bengal Files has established overseas.
“This film gives an intense feeling of patriotism. Every Indian should watch this film.” — Audience Verdict, Orlando, USA#TheBengalFiles
— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) August 3, 2025
Releasing worldwide on 05 September 2025 pic.twitter.com/L1pdaeNh9M
"It's a must-watch for everyone, especially the young generation, who are taught about genocides across the world, but not about the Hindu genocide that happened in their own country.” — Audience Reaction, LA, USA#TheBengalFiles
— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) August 8, 2025
Releasing worldwide on 05 September 2025.… pic.twitter.com/CWbgJhKDEG
“We were taught wrong history — now it's our turn to show our children the untold truth of Partition.”
— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) August 19, 2025
Audience Verdict – Chicago, USA
The Bengal Files
Releasing Worldwide on 05 September 2025. pic.twitter.com/vfFSIfvYzR
About The Bengal Files
The Bengal Files focuses on the turbulent history of Bengal during the 1940s, specifically the Great Calcutta Killings, Direct Action Day and the Noakhali riots.
The film stars Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Darshan Kumaar, Puneet Issar, Govind Namdev, Mohan Kapur, Palomi Ghosh, Divya Palat and others.
The Controversy
The Bengal Files have also been the subject of legal battles. On July 31, Vivek Agnihotri and his wife Pallavi Joshi approached a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court seeking dismissal of two FIRs filed against the film.
The first FIR was registered in Murshidabad district soon after the teaser campaign was launched.
Another was later filed at Lake Town Police Station in Kolkata. The main allegation in the FIRs was that the film might contain sensitive material that could hamper communal harmony in the state.
The Bengal Files is the third part of Vivek Agnihotri's "Files" trilogy. The series began with The Tashkent Files in 2019, followed by The Kashmir Files in 2022, which sparked significant controversy but went on to become a box-office success.
In A Nutshell
Early foreign reviews of Vivek Agnihotri's The Bengal Files have been coming in, and they are a mix of both intense and emotional reactions. The director himself has been sharing several clips from the screenings that are making the rounds.
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