Kolkata: The ‘City of Joy’ witnessed high drama on Saturday when filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s trailer launch for his controversial film ‘The Bengal Files’ was stopped midway by Kolkata Police.

The film, based on the 1946 Calcutta riots, has already sparked political tensions, with many accusing Agnihotri of pushing divisive propaganda under the garb of cinema.

The event, held at a banquet hall in ITC Royal Bengal, came to a sudden halt when police officials stepped in and stopped the screening. Sources in the administration said that the organisers failed to provide proper permissions from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. The trailer was being screened despite the absence of required clearance, forcing the police to intervene.

While Agnihotri alleged that “democracy was dead in Bengal,” the ruling Trinamool Congress dismissed his claims as “drama.”

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh hit back sharply: “Vivek Agnihotri is not a filmmaker here; he is a political agent trying to malign Bengal. Why doesn’t he make a ‘Gujarat Files’ or ‘UP Files’? He has only come here to create division. Bengal will not allow anyone to destroy the harmony of Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray’s land.”

The TMC also reminded that the state has always stood against attempts to communalise its soil. “No hotel, theatre, or hall is bound to screen hate propaganda,” party leaders stressed.

BJP leaders, including Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar, condemned the incident and accused the state of stifling freedom of expression. However, TMC countered that Bengal remains a democratic state and the filmmaker is free to express himself—“so long as it does not endanger social harmony.”

Meanwhile, a complaint was filed against Agnihotri, his wife Pallavi Joshi, and producer Abhishek Agarwal, though the Calcutta High Court has put an interim stay on the FIR until August 26.

Set for release on September 5, ‘The Bengal Files’ is being seen by many in Bengal as the latest attempt to distort history for political mileage. The Mamata Banerjee government has reiterated that Bengal’s identity is rooted in pluralism, art, and progress—not in “manufactured divisions.”

In A Nutshell:

Bengal’s protests against The Bengal Files stem from fears that the film is less about history and more about stoking communal tensions for political mileage.

Leaders, intellectuals, and citizens have argued that Vivek Agnihotri is selectively portraying events like ‘Direct Action Day’ to paint Bengal in a negative light, ignoring the state’s long legacy of harmony, culture, and progressive values.

Many believe the film is designed to create division ahead of political battles, using cinema as a tool for propaganda. In a state proud of Tagore, Vivekananda, and Satyajit Ray, critics insist that Bengal will not allow its soil to be turned into a battleground for communal politics.