On Saturday, the trailer of Vivek Agnihotri’s volatile The Bengal Files, depicting the 1946 Calcutta communal riots, was stopped at a luxury hotel in Kolkata.
The backlash against the film was only expected. The ruling All India Trinamool Congress in West Bengal is reputed to be exceedingly protective of the minority community.
---Advertisement---
“It is unlikely Agnihotri’s film will get to be released in West Bengal. He is known to be a troublemaker. Kashmir Files stirred up very disturbing anti-Muslim sentiments. The same won’t work in West Bengal,” a prominent member of the Trinamool party, who is also a veteran actor, told this writer on condition of anonymity.
---Advertisement---
On Saturday, Vivek Agnihotri tweeted, "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.”
Agnihotri later commented, “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.”
Anupam Kher, who plays Mahatma Gandhi in The Bengal Files, spoke exclusively to this writer. “The Bengal Files tells only the truth. Why fear the truth?”