Vivek Agnihotri on 'The Bengal Files' controversy: 'Will take legal course if film is stopped'

Filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri on Monday said he would go the legal route if the release of his film “The Bengal Files” is stalled in West Bengal.

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 and police turned up asking if permission had been taken.

“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 here while hitting out at the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government in West Bengal.

“The Bengal Files”, which is slated for release on September 5, revolves around the Calcutta riots of August 16, 1946, which were triggered after the All-India Muslim League called for ‘Direct Action Day’ to demand a separate homeland.

“…This is an Indian film. I am telling you the truth,” Agnihotri said. Known for films such as “The Kashmir Files” and “The Tashkent Files”, Agnihotri also addressed the many controversies surrounding his latest release, including an FIR by Gopal Chandra Mukherjee’s grandson Santanu Mukherjee.

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.

“I will not go into his history. Watch Santanu’s interview. I can give you all the links. There is an interview of Gopal Mukherjee on BBC. In that interview, what he has said, we have only shown that much. I have nothing to do with Gopal Mukherjee’s life, politics. He was a hero and I have shown him as a hero,” he said. “I respect Gopal Mukherjee a lot. His grandsons work with TMC. There is a

compulsion there… They have done it legally. We are giving a legal answer to that,” he said.

Agnihotri claimed the film is his attempt to reveal hidden truths. He said he aims at showing “the untold stories of India”. “Our purpose is very clear. I make films on Hindu civilization. That is why I

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make films on Hindu history. I do not consider myself capable of making films on Islamic history or Christian history,” he said, adding that filmmakers like Mani Ratnam and Vishal Bhardwaj have already made movies on the Islamic history of Kashmir through “Roja” and “Haider”.

Agnihotri said the censor board passed “The Bengal Files” without any cuts though it went through the examining committee and then the revising committee. “This film was made with a lot of responsibility and sincerity. No one can object to this. Bengalis will be proud of this film.” “The Bengal Files” stars Mithun Chakraborty, Saswata Chatterjee.