Vivek Agnihotri’s latest political thriller, The Bengal Files, has begun generating strong reactions overseas, having mostly been released in North America over the past month. The film, which will hit theatres in India on September 5, 2025, is the third and final chapter in Agnihotri’s The Files trilogy and dramatises the turbulent events of 1946 Bengal — from the Great Calcutta Killings and Direct Action Day to the Noakhali riots. His previous films in the trilogy include The Tashkent Files (2019) as well as the controversial The Kashmir Files (2022).
Featuring a heavyweight cast — including Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher (a regular in his movies), Pallavi Joshi (his wife), Darshan Kumar, Simrat Kaur, and Namoshi Chakraborty — the film attempts to revisit a chapter of modern Indian history that remains deeply contentious.
Early international verdict
While Indian audiences await its theatrical debut, foreign viewers who have already watched the film are weighing in online, and the responses are both intense and emotionally charged.
Journalist Avatans Kumar praised the historical recreation, writing: “Film The Bengal Files by @vivekagnihotri is a meticulously crafted cinematic portrayal of real events. It vividly brings to life the political turmoil of 1946, including the Noakhali Hindu massacre.”
Another early review on echoed the same sentiment, describing it as “a difficult film to watch but an important one because it addresses the suppressed generational trauma of the events in 1946-1947. It balances the stories we know from the Partition in northern India with events that preceded it by a year in eastern India.”
For some, the film’s message struck a deeply personal chord. One Google reviewer urged: “A must see, show it to your Young Adult Children. Bengal Files is a hard-hitting, gut-wrenching portrayal of the forgotten Hindu genocide in eastern India. It exposes centuries of relentless persecution—over 1,400 years—culminating in the horrors faced during and after the Muslim invasions. This is not just a film; it’s a wake-up call to remember a history that has been silenced for too long. Tragically, this is not only history—the same Hindu genocide continues today, with atrocities as recent as March 2025 in Murshidabad, West Bengal. It is a chilling reminder that these patterns of violence are not confined to one place—they echo across the world in various cities.”
Another viewer called it a “gripping film which shows the horrors that Bengali Hindus went through. Must watch for all Indians to make sure we never let history repeat itself. Hats off to Vivek Agnihotri!”
Viral reactions
Clips from screenings, amplified by Agnihotri himself on social media, have gone viral — though critics point out that many of these videos are gloatingly positive and lack nuance. Supporters, however, argue that the film’s reception abroad proves its resonance.
Controversy surrounding the film so far
Actor Saswata Chatterjee, who plays the antagonist in The Bengal Files, recently stirred buzz after admitting he didn’t know about the film’s title shift from The Delhi Files. He revealed that while the makers briefed him on his role, they never shared the complete storyline. So why did he sign on? Saswata said the rare chance to portray a powerful villain drew him in. Contrarily, in an episode of The Right Angle by Sonal Kalra, Vivek asserted that Saswata was aware of The Bengal Files’ plot. However, the director also admitted that he understands why some Bengali artists want to distance themselves from his film. Watch below:
More recently, Vivek appealed to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee not to ban his film in the state. In an interview, he expressed, “It’s very important that I make this film, make the younger generation aware, enlighten them. And also, the entire community gets to express a generational trauma.”
While there has been no official statement from the West Bengal government yet, the filmmaker’s appeal has already stirred discussion on social media
