Filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s upcoming project ‘The Bengal Files’ will be released in cinemas on September 5. This cinematic presentation is crafted keeping in mind the background of Direct Action Day held in Kolkata on 16 August 1946. As soon as the teaser of the film came out, it shook the country. The trailer shook everyone to the core, because the way the truth has been shown in it surprised the audience. Like the film ‘The Kashmir Files’, this film is also in controversy. There has been a ruckus about it even before its release. Especially in West Bengal, there is a lot of resentment about this film. Now there is news that multiplex owners of West Bengal have allegedly refused to screen it. While ‘The Bengal Files’ has been released in theaters across the country, it is not even available on Book My Show in West Bengal. This makes it clear that the film has not been released in multiplex cinemas. At the same time, director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri has appealed to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to allow its screening in the state. Along with this, producer Pallavi Joshi has also written a letter to the President of India, Mrs. Draupadi Murmu.
Demand for intervention from the President
Filmmaker Pallavi Joshi shared a note on her social media in which she has demanded President Draupadi Murmu to intervene in this matter. Pallavi Joshi wrote in the caption while posting that – This is a cinema of truth, but truth also needs protection. Your Excellency Madam President, I as the producer of #TheBengalFiles express my deep disappointment that multiplex cinemas in Bengal have refused to screen this film due to political pressure and threats. She further wrote that – ‘My family is receiving threats from political party workers every day. I request you to intervene to protect my constitutional rights and ensure its release in Bengal.’ Pallavi said that “There is no official ban, yet there is an unofficial ban on this film even before people can watch it. ‘The Bengal Files’ is the story of Mother India’s call and her will to live. It is a symbol of struggle and hope, where a woman rose from the boundaries to reach the highest position in the nation. Being a woman, only you can understand this process of pain and transformation into power in the real sense. Today my biggest hope is linked to you.
Public in support of Pallavi Joshi
Many people have also supported Pallavi Joshi’s appeal. One said, ‘Don’t worry Pallavi Joshi, Bengal is not just a place for Bengali people, we will watch it wherever possible. So what if it does not happen in multiplexes, we will watch it on OTT. After all, how long can Mamata Banerjee stop us from watching The Bengal Files?’ Another said, ‘Pallavi’s appeal must be considered. If the history of the oppressed is shown on this cinema screen, people associated with it will know how brutally their ancestors were tortured. To acknowledge their unspoken pain and to pray for eternal peace of their unsettled souls. In the end, truth prevails.
