On Saturday, the trailer launch of Vivek Agnihotri’s upcoming and much-debated film The Bengal Files, which depicts the 1946 Calcutta communal riots, was halted at a luxury hotel in Kolkata. The move was met with little surprise, given the sensitive subject matter and the expected backlash. The ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal is known for its strong stance on protecting the state’s minority community.
Vivek Agnihotri’s The Bengal Files trailer stopped in West Bengal; says, “Democracy is dead in Tagore and Vivekananda’s land”
A senior Trinamool leader, who is also a veteran actor, told this writer on condition of anonymity, “It is unlikely Agnihotri’s film will be released in West Bengal. He has a reputation for being a troublemaker. The Kashmir Files stirred up disturbing anti-Muslim sentiments. That won’t be allowed to happen here.”
Responding to the incident, Vivek Agnihotri took to social media, tweeting, “With anguish I inform you: Today West Bengal police, on orders of ‘top authorities’, illegally stopped the trailer of #TheBengalFiles. First theatres, now even a private hotel.”
Later, speaking further on the controversy, Agnihotri remarked, “Who fears the truth of Hindu genocide? And why? Democracy is dead in Tagore and Vivekananda’s land. The trailer is now being seen all over the country, but since it is based in Bengal, we wanted its launch here. They don’t want the atrocities on Bengali Hindus in 1946 and the fightback of people like Gopal Mukherjee to be shown in cinema. If it is a part of history, do you want to change history? There can be only one reason behind such a move — to ignore the conspiracy to divide Bengal again.”
Veteran actor Anupam Kher, who essays the role of Mahatma Gandhi in The Bengal Files, also came forward in support of the film. Speaking exclusively to this writer, Kher said, “The Bengal Files tells only the truth. Why fear the truth?”
More Pages: The Bengal Files Box Office Collection
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