• Source:JND
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The Bengal Files, the highly anticipated film directed by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, will not be released on September 5 in a number of overseas countries because of delays in the local censorship approval procedures. The political drama inspired by real-life events explores the communal bloodshed in Bengal in the 1940s, one of the most unsettling periods in Indian history after The Kashmir Files and The Tashkent Files. 

The Bengal Files Release Delayed?

The Bengal Files' production team has officially confirmed that the political drama 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.

The Bengal Files is being examined by the local authorities in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These areas have stringent regulatory processes for content approval particularly for movies that deal with politically or socially sensitive subjects. Even while no official protest has been made thus far, the producers have pushed back the release date in certain areas due to the certification delay.

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Vivek Agnihotri's Request To Mamata Banerjee

The Bengal Files is not being released in West Bengal reportedly, despite its historical theme and stellar ensemble. Vivek Agnihotri publicly pleaded with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to refrain from banning the movie. He explained that the movie is about facing the truth and looking for healing, not about inciting hatred.

The filmmaker asked Banerjee to listen to him 'with folded hands' and not 'suppress an important part of history' in a video message posted on X (earlier Twitter). Vivek Agnihotri reminded The Bengal CM of her constitutional obligation, claiming to be receiving feedback from theater owners in the state that they were being threatened not to proceed with the showing.

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"You have taken an oath on the Indian Constitution to protect the rights of every citizen, the right of free speech, and it is your responsibility to see to it that the film does not face any disruption. Please consider the fact that the CBFC has cleared this film," he said. Vivek Agnihotri recalled that Bengal was the cultural center of the nation and the essence of India, and that the state and its citizens made the greatest sacrifices between 1905 and 1947.

The Bengal Files Real-Life Story

Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri is the writer of The Bengal Files, which Abhishek Agarwal and Pallavi Joshi are producing. Darshan Kumar, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, and Mithun Chakraborty are among its stars. Tej Narayan Agarwal & I Am Buddha Productions is the film's distributor. It is a part of Vivek's Files trilogy, which also includes The Kashmir Files and The Tashkent Files.

The Great Calcutta Killings, Direct Action Day (August 16, 1946), and the ensuing Noakhali riots are the historical events that serve as the basis for The Bengal Files. These episodes are viewed from the perspective of a made-up story about a police officer looking into a case of corruption.