Why Vivek Agnihotri thinks his film 'The Bengal Files' can be banned in West Bengal: Watch the filmmaker's video

While The Bengal Files has become a buzz word for the nation, set against the harrowing backdrop of “Direct Action Day” on 16th August 1946 in West Bengal, filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s The Bengal Files marks the concluding chapter of his blockbuster truth-revealing trilogy after The Tashkent Files and The Kashmir Files.

While the teaser of _The Bengal Files_ had already sent shockwaves across the nation, the release of the hard-hitting trailer left audiences stunned with its unflinching spirit of truth. Now, as the film is gearing up for its release in this week, filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri questioned Mamata Banerjee urging her to allow release of the film in Bengal.

Agnihotri has released a video addressing the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Honorable Mamata Banerjee pointing out the concerns of exhibitors, highlighting the political pressure they are facing in screening _The Bengal Files_ in their theatres, which has scare them. He also mentioned that members of her party are trying to stop the screening of the film, attempting to ban it, and filing multiple baseless FIRs against him.

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The filmmaker then explained his reasons for urging Mamata Banerjee to allow the release of the film in West Bengal. He reminded the Honorable Chief Minister of her constitutional oath to protect the free speech rights of “We, the People of Bharat” and emphasized her responsibility in ensuring the release of the film, especially since it has already been passed by the CBFC, a constitutional body.

Secondly, he pointed out that India is the land that has suffered the most, and the Bengal chapter is among the most painful, with incidents such as Direct Action Day and the Noakhali Hindu genocides—events that have either been forgotten or hidden. He further described Bengal as the “civilizational crown” of India, the land of Vivekananda, Ramakrishna, Tagore, and Subhash Chandra Bose.

He went on to ask: “Do we find a single Jewish child, Black child, or Japanese child who does not know about their people’s sufferings? Then why is our new generation unaware of the most disastrous chapter of our country?” He questioned whether it is a crime to speak about the suffering of Bengal and its people. He clarified that the film is not against any community but against those who acted against humanity. He stressed that banning the film would also mean banning the truth of the Hindu genocides.

The filmmaker also pointed out that when Bengalis recently watched the film in America, many told him that their healing begins here. Concluding his appeal, he urged the Chief Minister not to ban the film but instead to watch it, understand it, debate over it—but not hide the reality.