A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Calcutta High Court regarding the release of the movie ‘The Bengal Files’. Sayan Kangsabanik, a resident of West Bengal’s Nadia has filed a case in the High Court on Tuesday seeking permission to show Vivek Agnihotri’s movie in all cinema halls of West Bengal. He argues that watching a movie that has been cleared by the Censor Board is a fundamental right of citizens. The petitioner has requested the court to intervene in the release of the movie. The case may be heard in the High Court soon.
‘The Bengal Files’ revisits the communal riots during Direct Action Day in August 1946 in Calcutta, a subject that has sparked debate since the film’s release. Notably, in the first week of this month, the High Court had rejected the petition submitted by the grandson of ‘Gopal Patha’ alias Gopal Mukherjee, one of the characters shown in the movie.
The film, which features Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar and Pallavi Joshi, released nationally on September 5 but has met resistance to screenings in West Bengal.
Fundamental Right of audience to watch film cleared by CBFC: Petitioner
In the PIL filed in the High Court on Tuesday, it has been stated that the objection to the release of ‘The Bengal Files’ in Bengal amounts to creating obstacles in the way of the industry. At the same time, it deprives the people of West Bengal of their fundamental right to watch movies of their choice. Besides, blocking the release of a movie that has been cleared by the CBFC means violating the law. The movie is being screened everywhere in the country except West Bengal, there is no obstacle anywhere else. Lawyers Soumendu Mukherjee and Nikunja Barlia are fighting the case on behalf of the petitioner.
Previous Legal action against ‘The Bengal Files’
However, this is not the first time that this film is facing legal action. Earlier, director Vivek Agnihotri was accused of distorting the history of Bengal and trying to serve political interests by making a ‘propaganda’ film before the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026. The allegation that the character of Gopal Mukherjee in the 46th ‘Greater Calcutta Killing’ was introduced as ‘Butcher Gopal Patha’ sparked a storm of protest.
Shantanu Mukherjee, grandson of the historical figure often referred to as Gopal Patha, filed a police complaint and moved the Calcutta High Court seeking a stay on the film’s release in Bengal and removal of scenes he said showed his grandfather in a bad light; the High Court dismissed the petition. Justice Amrita Sinha made it clear that such an application does not fall under the purview of this court.
The film, which focuses on the 1946 Direct Action Day communal riots in Calcutta, did not screen in commercial theatres in the state following its national release on September 5, 2025. Vivek Agnihotri has repeatedly alleged that his film The Bengal Files was prevented from being released in West Bengal due to political pressure and intimidation by the state government and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Film could not release in Bengal due to political pressure: Director Vivek Agnihotri
Agnihotri claimed that West Bengal government and police officials were threatening cinema owners with “dire consequences” if they screened the movie. He stated that because of this pressure, the film was facing an “unofficial ban” in the state, despite being cleared by the Censor Board. On September 3, 2025, Agnihotri posted a video on social media appealing to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to ensure a smooth release and uphold constitutional rights.
Despite the resistance, a private, invite-only screening was eventually held on September 13, 2025, at the National Library in Kolkata, organized by a socio-cultural body with ties to the BJP. The invitation-only event, held at the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Bhasha Bhavan auditorium on the National Library campus, drew roughly 500 attendees.