Vivek Agnihotri’s upcoming film, The Bengal Files has spurred a controversy in West Bengal since its trailer came out. Actor Saswata Chatterjee plays a pivotal role in the film. He opened up about doing the film and said that he didn’t know the full story of it and was only told about his role.
In an interview with The Wall, Saswata said, “I am just an actor. I liked a character and I played it. I am not a historian to think about what history says and this is distorting history. It's not my job. If those whose job it is feel that Bengal is being belittled, then they can go to court with the information. There is no point is just making noise.”
Saswata said that he agreed to do the film as he found the character interesting. “Nowadays, it's a trend, the whole story won't be told to anyone. You only get to know your track, your character. And when I was told about the role (in The Bengal Files), I found the character to be amazing. It's a villain's character and very few people get such characters to play,” he said.
The film’s title was initially, Delhi Files: The Bengal Chapter which was recently changed to The Bengal Files by the makers. Speaking about this, Saswata said, “While the shooting was going on, the name of the film was Delhi Files and after the shooting was completed, I came to know that it was changed to The Bengal Files. That is not in my hands."
The film revisits the chilling events of Direct Action Day and the 1946 Calcutta killings. It is the third part of the trilogy of films that include, The Tashkent Files (2019) and The Kashmir Files.
Earlier, the film’s trailer launch in Kolkata was cancelled and Vivek accused “political pressure” being the reason behind the incident. One of the objections of the film is the portrayal of Gopal Mukherjee, a leader who played a key role in the Bengal riots of 1946. His grandson has filed a complaint against Vivek for distorting facts against his father’s legacy.
