Mumbai: Bollywood director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri has directly appealed to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee just days before the scheduled release of his upcoming film The Bengal Files on September 5. The filmmaker expressed concerns that the movie might face a ban in the state amid protests by Trinamool Congress workers.
In a video message shared on social media, Agnihotri claimed that theatre owners were under political pressure not to screen the film. “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,” he urged.
Agnihotri reminded Banerjee of her constitutional responsibility to uphold freedom of expression. “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,” he added.
Explaining why Bengal’s history needs to be told, the director said, “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.”
He further emphasized Bengal’s role in history: “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?”
Clarifying the film’s intent, Agnihotri said, “This film is not about hatred. It is a film about truth and healing. 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.”
Concluding his appeal, he declared, “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.”
The Bengal Files, written and directed by Agnihotri, delves into Bengal’s violent past, exploring communal tensions and political narratives through accounts of forgotten tragedies.
