'The Bengal Files' is set to be released on September 5. Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri claims the movie uncover 'buried' history.
The controversy around 'The Bengal Files' movie keeps buzzing around with multiple sides passing conclusions and strong opinions. Social Media platforms have flooded with posts, where people have been vocal and expressed their opinions openly. The controversy raises eyebrows around the freedom of speech, history and democratic rights of filmmakers and citizens as a whole.
The firestorm was lit when Kolkata police stopped the trailer premiere of The Bengal Files on grounds of a lack of an obligatory amusement license. While local authorities argue that procedural requisites were not complied with, their critics contend that the interference was politically driven and intended to quell unpleasant realities about Bengal's disturbed past. Pallavi Joshi, the lead actress in the film, termed the incident "unconstitutional" and "an assault on democracy" as she alleged it justifies the central premise of the film regarding censorship and the undervaluation of human voices.
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Outspoken Director Vivek Agnihotri labeled the police action as symptomatic of "anarchy and dictatorship." He claims that the action was part of a systematic attempt by the West Bengal government to protect people from the film's depiction of communal violence and population shifts in the region. The ruling Trinamool Congress, however, emphatically ruled out political interference, saying that rules of procedure apply to all events in public life regardless of their subject matter.
Most of the criticism revolves around the film's portrayal of historical incidents, specifically the 1946 Great Calcutta Killings and Noakhali riots. Critics, including the descendants of people featured in the film, have faulted Agnihotri for warping history. For example, Gopal Chandra Mukherjee's grandson Santanu Mukherjee made a legal complaint stating the movie is "inaccurate" and does harm to his family's history and to the community at large. Agnihotri, in turn, claimed Mukherjee is presented in a positive manner and that the script follows direct sources from history.
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Not everyone from the cast has spoken out on the historical controversy. Saswata Chatterjee, who features prominently in the movie, explained that he wasn't responsible for ensuring historical facts. He asked those worried about the historical content to explore legal recourse instead of fueling popular controversy.
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With the release of the film drawing near, critics point out that the issue is not only freedom of expression, but also responsibility and accountability in presenting narratives on sensitive historical events. For critics, the controversy indicates the danger in re-writing history for the sake of the movies and the ongoing challenge of reconciling creative freedom with factual history.
