Kolkata: Director Vivek Agnihotri claimed on Saturday (August 16, 2025) that the Kolkata Police prevented the trailer launch of his film The Bengal Files. The screening was scheduled at a five-star hotel in the city in the afternoon. Police officials at the venue declined to comment.
Agnihotri alleged the move was an attack on democratic rights, pointing out that the film had been cleared by the censor board and that the Calcutta High Court had stayed a previous ban. According to him, the hotel initially stopped the screening around 1 p.m., stating that permission had been granted only for a press conference.
When the trailer was attempted again shortly after, Agnihotri said, “suddenly five to six Kolkata Police officers entered the banquet hall and stopped the screening midway.” The director was reportedly involved in a heated exchange with police personnel and hotel staff.
He further alleged that the intervention was at the behest of the ruling Trinamool Congress and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, claiming that party leaders had pressured the hotel management to halt the screening. Addressing reporters, Agnihotri said The Bengal Files, “which is based on facts and has cleared the censor board,” was being blocked by “the person who is at the helm of the administration in Bengal.” When asked if he was referring to Banerjee, he replied, “Yes, you are right.”
“There can be only one reason for this move—to suppress the exposure of the conspiracy to divide Bengal again. I hope this government is not anti-Hindu,” he added.
The Bengal Files explores communal violence in undivided Bengal during the 1940s and is slated for a theatrical release on September 5. Producer Abhishek Agarwal told reporters here that “no force can stop us from releasing the film on September 5,” adding that they were consulting legal experts and would approach the court following Saturday’s events.
