Vivek Agnihotri urges Mamata to ensure smooth release of film
Director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s upcoming film The Bengal Files has hit a roadblock in terms of its overseas release.
The film reportedly will not hit the screens in several key international territories on its originally scheduled release date of September 5, due to delays in the local censorship approval processes.
The production team has confirmed that the film has not yet received clearance in Mauritius, with the censor board’s decision still pending. As a result, the film will not be released in the country until further notice.
Meanwhile, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, the film is currently undergoing review by local censorship authorities. These regions have strict regulatory procedures for content approval, especially for films dealing with politically or socially sensitive themes. However, there is no formal objection raised so far.
Director Vivek Agnihotri appealed to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to ensure the smooth release of his film The Bengal Files, alleging that Trinamool Congress workers were threatening theatre owners against screening it.
The film, the concluding chapter in Agnihotri’s The Files trilogy after The Tashkent Files (2019) and The Kashmir Files (2022), revisits the communal riots of August 1946 in Kolkata, known as ‘Direct Action Day’.
In a video message on X, Agnihotri requested Banerjee “with folded hands” to listen to his words and not to “suppress an important part of history”.
Claiming that he is getting feedback from theatre owners in the state that they were being threatened not to go ahead with the screening, Agnihotri reminded Banerjee of her constitutional duty.
Earlier, actress-producer Pallavi Joshi, who is the wife of Vivek, spoke about how mid-way during the pre-production the team of The Bengal Files was hit with a tragedy. (Agencies)