Actor Saswata Chatterjee on Vivek Agnihotri’s film row: ‘I was told it was The Delhi Files during shooting, not The Bengal Files’ | Decoding the backlash

According to reports, Vivek Agnihotri’s film is a portrayal of 1946 riots. The movie faces backlash over historical accuracy and portrayal of key figures, with legal notices and public debates intensifying ahead of its September release.

Disassociating himself with the ‘The Bengali Files’ controversy, Bengali actor Saswata Chatterjee said the Vivek Agnihotri film was initially titled ‘The Delhi Files’. He said he wasn’t aware of the film’s story or the reason behind its title change at the last minute.

According to reports published in India Today, Saswata Chatterjee’s comments came two days after the trailer launch of the film was cancelled by the authorities in Kolkata, causing Agnihotri to slam the Mamata Banerjee-led government, calling them “fascists.” The team of ‘The Bengal Files’ also faced multiple FIRs in West Bengal for allegedly showing the state in a bad light.

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Why was the trailer launch disrupted?

The trailer launch of the film in Kolkata was disrupted on Saturday. Agnihotri claimed the event was first cancelled by a multiplex and then moved to a hotel where power supply was disrupted.

The film is accused of disrupting the legacy of freedom fighter Gopal Mukherjee. The film referred to him as ‘Kashai Gopal Patha’. This his family found to be insulting. His grandson filed a FIR against Vivek Agnihotri alleging the makers in misrepresenting his grandfather’s role in history. The trailer was cancelled by the authorities in Bengal.

Gopal Mukherjee is said to have played a pivotal role in the resistance against the Muslim mob violence in 1946. Santanu claims Agnihotri’s film refers to his grandfather as a butcher. Agnihotri said Gopal Mukherjee in his film is an inspired character and not central to the plot.

What Vivek Agnihotri said?

“We will go by the Constitution. We will go legally. If they stop us, we will take the legal course. What can we do? We are common citizens like you… We will pray that sanity prevails and the state government does not do it (stop the release),” the filmmaker said at a press conference while hitting out at the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government in West Bengal.

WATCH the trailer of ‘The Bengal Files’ here:

(With added inputs from PTI)