'Planned controversy': Mithun Chakraborty slams Mamata Banerjee over 'Bengal Files'
What's the story
Actor Mithun Chakraborty, who is also a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal for allegedly creating a ruckus at the trailer launch of The Bengal Files in Kolkata last month. He called it a "planned controversy" in a recent interview and questioned how anyone could stop an event if they hadn't even seen the trailer.
Event disruption
What happened at 'The Bengal Files' event
On August 16, the trailer launch event for The Bengal Files was abruptly stopped in Kolkata. Chakraborty, who has previously worked with director Vivek Agnihotri on The Tashkent Files and The Kashmir Files, defended the film against accusations of being a propaganda project. He said, "It's a hard-hitting film. The film which tells the truth has to be hard-hitting."
Actor's statement
Pallavi Joshi on the incident
Agnihotri's wife, Pallavi Joshi, who also stars in The Bengal Files, spoke about the incident. She told News18 Showsha, "We did not face this even in Kashmir. Are we to derive that Kashmir is in a better state than Bengal?" "If I say that there is democracy is dead in Bengal, how am I wrong? You're curbing my freedom of expression." The film will release on Friday, September 5, 2025, in Hindi, Bengali, and Telugu.
Twitter Post
'Please don't ban film': Agnihotri appealed to Banerjee earlier
URGENT: An open appeal to Hon’ble CM @MamataOfficial. Please listen till the end and share widely as your protest against banning of a film on Hindu Genocide. #TheBengalFiles
— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) September 2, 2025
In cinemas 05 September 2025 pic.twitter.com/AvDuVlixmx