Although the film has been released nationwide, no theatres in Kolkata are showing it, giving the BJP a fresh opening to criticise the Trinamool Congress.
Kolkata:
The highly contentious film “Bengal Files” released today amid an intense political confrontation between West Bengal’s Opposition BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress. The movie has ignited a major controversy in the state, with critics alleging that it presents a distorted depiction of Hindu genocide during the 1946 Calcutta riots.
The film, the final installment in director Vivek Agnihotri’s Files Trilogy, revisits the August 1946 violence in the city, which erupted after the Muslim League’s call for Direct Action Day. The unrest resulted in large-scale communal clashes, numerous deaths, and eventually Mahatma Gandhi’s peace fast in Beleghata.
Although the film has been released nationwide, no theatres in Kolkata are screening it, giving the BJP an opportunity to target the Trinamool Congress.
“The Bengal Files, a film on the genocide of Bengali Hindus, has premiered worldwide—except in West Bengal and Pakistan. Mamata Banerjee should treat this as a badge of honour: she has not only disrespected the sacrifices of Bengali Hindus who fought for their homeland but also aligned them with a radicalised nation,” BJP leader Amit Malviya wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The Trinamool, however, has clarified that no ban has been imposed on the film, and the selection and screening of movies are decisions made by theatres, not the government.
