Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri's The Bengal Files hit theatres on Friday, September 5, amid a massive political controversy in Bengal. The film, which depicts the 1946 Great Calcutta Killings, has not been released in West Bengal. Despite this, screenings began in other parts of the country. However, a user claimed that a scheduled show of The Bengal Files was abruptly cancelled at a theatre in Kanjurmarg, Mumbai.
The Bengal Files Show Cancelled In Mumbai's Kanjurmarg
A user named Narayan Parvathy Parasuram took to his X (formerly Twitter) and shared a video from the ticket counter at Huma Mall in Kanjurmarg, where The Bengal Files was scheduled to be screened.
In the video, he expressed his frustration over the abrupt cancellation of the show and said. "There are so many people waiting here to watch The Bengal Files, with many still standing in line. People who had booked advance tickets have had their shows randomly cancelled. This is absolutely denounceable. Shivaji Maharaj ka bhoomi hai yeh, Kolkata nahi hai yeh..."
Check out the video:
Further, the user said, "We are here for the 9 o'clock show and it has been cancelled. There is an entire crowd here, at least 50 people for an early morning show."
Sharing the video, the X user wrote, "THE BENGAL FILES first day first show CANCELLED at Moviemax Kanjurmarg inspite of over 50% tickets booked for an early morning show!!!"
Pallavi Joshi's Open Letter President Droupadi Murmu
A days before The Bengal Files' release, Pallavi Joshi wrote an open letter to the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, seeking intervention and protection of her constitutional rights.
She wrote, "The Bengal Files, the final part of the Files Trilogy, releases on 5th September. It tells the long-suppressed truth of the Hindu genocide of Direct Action Day, the horrors of Noakhali, and the trauma of Partition. But in West Bengal, truth is under siege. Years before completion, the Chief Minister mocked the film. Since then, baseless FIRS have been filed, our trailer was blocked by police, and even newspapers avoid carrying ads."
"My family is threatened every day by political party workers. Now theatre owners have told us they are being intimidated, threatened and are refusing to screen it, fearing violence by ruling party workers. There is no official ban, yet an unofficial ban silences the film before people can see it," read her letter.
About The Bengal Files
The film is set against the blood-soaked backdrop of West Bengal's violent political past. It presents a narrative drawn from real incidents and testimonies, focusing on accounts of violence in Bengal that, as the film suggests, have not been discussed in mainstream discourse.
Set against visuals of conflict and silence, the film attempts to explore themes of communal tension, political narratives, and historical memory.
The Bengal Files stars Mithun Chakraborty, Simran Khan, Pallavi Joshi, Anupam Kher, Simratt Kaur and Darshan Kumarr.
