- By Aarushi Raina
- Wed, 03 Sep 2025 04:13 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Bengal Files has been embroiled in controversy over its storyline by Vivek Agnihotri. The film is gearing up for its theatrical release on September 5. Ahead of the buzz, Pallavi Joshi, wife of the director, who is collaborating with Vivek again for the upcoming movie, after successful ventures like The Vaccine War, The Kashmir Files and The Tashkent Files, recently opened up how she initially said no to Vivek for The Bengal Files. She also suggested casting another actress, someone closer to that age. Pallavi will be seen portraying the role of Maa Bharti.
Pallavi Joshi Reveals Why She Initially Rejected The Bengal Files?
Pallavi Joshi shared her first reaction when Vivek Agnihotri approached her with The Bengal Files. In a conversation with Zoom, she revealed, "I was so tense when Vivek first told me that I had to do this role. First, it was the image of Maa Bharati. It was such a huge responsibility because we call her Bharat Mata, the mother figure in the imagination of every Indian. My first thought was – would I even be able to portray her? Secondly, the age that was shown… reaching that age. Would it even be possible for me to understand what happens to your mind and your body at that stage of life? Would I be able to express all that authentically?"
Pallavi also told Vivek to cast another actress for the role, but finally decided to do it. She added, "At first, I refused Vivek. I told him to cast some other actress, someone closer to that age. We have many senior actresses here. We thought about it a lot. But the image Vivek had in mind… perhaps he wasn’t able to see it in anyone else."
View this post on Instagram
Recently, Vivek Agnihotri revealed that he has received death threats amid Bengal Files controversy.
ALSO READ: Vivek Agnihotri Gets Death Threats Ahead Of The Bengal Files Release: 'How Many Actually...'
In a recent interview, he said, "we’ve had great films on the freedom struggle, the communal riots, the holocausts in India and abroad. So if I’m reaching into the past to tell a story that even I didn’t know much about, why am I being targeted."
The Bengal Files is based on the real historical events of the 1946 Calcutta riots. The film will explore the communal violence in Bengal during the 1940s, including events like Direct Action Day and the 1946 Noakhali riots. Written and directed by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri and backed by Abhishek Agarwal and Pallavi Joshi. Besides Pallavi, the film also stars Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Saswata Chatterjee, Namashi Chakraborty, Puneet Issar and Darshan Kumar. The film is set to arrive in theatres on September 5, 2025.
