New Delhi: ‘The Bengal Files’ has run into legal trouble and courted controversy post the film’s trailer release three days ago.
Director Vivek Agnihotri and his wife, actor-producer Pallavi Joshi, cried foul over the police and local authorities’ attempts to block the trailer launch event in Kolkata.
Three FIRs have been filed against the makers of the film for wrong portrayal of Gopal Mukherjee, who his grandson Shantanu claimed was a ‘braveheart’ who had taken up arms to fight for the Bengalis during the 1946 Calcutta riots.
On Monday, Agnihotri on Monday hit back at the skeptics, saying that he would also take the legal route if the release of his film was stalled in West Bengal, reported PTI.
“We will go by the Constitution. We will go legally. If they stop us, we will take the legal course. What can we do? We are common citizens like you… We will pray that sanity prevails and the state government does not do it (stop the release),” Agnihotri said at a press conference, hitting out at the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal.
‘The Bengal Files’, which is scheduled to be released on September 5, revolves around the Calcutta riots of August 16, 1946, which broke out after the All-India Muslim League called for ‘Direct Action Day’ to demand a separate homeland.
“This is an Indian film. I am telling you the truth,” Agnihotri claimed.
Addressing the charge levelled against him by Mukherjee’s grandson, Agnihotri said Gopal Mukherjee in his film is an inspired character, and not central to the plot.
“I will not go into his history. Watch Shantanu’s interview. I can give you all the links. There is an interview of Gopal Mukherjee on BBC. In that interview, what he has said, we have only shown that much. I have nothing to do with Gopal Mukherjee’s life, politics. He was a hero and I have shown him as a hero,” Agnihotri said.
Saying that he respected Gopal Mukherjee “a lot”, Agnihotri claimed his grandsons work with Trinamool Congress.
“There is a compulsion there… They have done it legally. We are giving a legal answer to that,” the filmmaker said, adding his film attempts to reveal hidden truths.
“Our purpose is very clear. I make films on Hindu civilisation. That is why I make films on Hindu history. I do not consider myself capable of making films on Islamic history or Christian history,” he said.
Agnihotri pointed out that the censor board had passed ‘The Bengal Files’ without any cuts, despite going through the examining committee and the revising committee.
“This film was made with a lot of responsibility and sincerity. No one can object to this. Bengalis will be proud of this film,” he said.
‘The Bengal Files’ stars Mithun Chakraborty, Saswata Chatterjee, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Priyanshu Chatterjee and Darshan Kumar.
