Dictatorship Over A Trailer Launch Event? The Bengal Files Trailer Faces Hurdles In Kolkata Amid Political Heat
Vivek Agnihotri’s The Bengal Files trailer launch event in Kolkata was cancelled last minute, shifted to a hotel, and hit by power cuts. Here’s why political pressure is shadowing the film.
Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri had big plans for Independence Day in Kolkata: unveiling the trailer of his much-talked-about film The Bengal Files. But just hours before the launch, major cinema chains backed out. The official reason? “Political pressure” and fears of possible unrest. What was meant to be a celebration quickly turned into controversy.
Agnihotri Hits Back
The filmmaker didn’t stay quiet. Taking to X, he blasted the cancellation as “a sad commentary on our democracy,” adding that no one could silence the truth. His message was loud and clear and he sees the hurdles as attempts to suppress uncomfortable history.
From Blessings to Blackouts
Instead of scrapping the event, Agnihotri took a detour. He visited Kalighat Temple for blessings, then shifted the trailer launch to a five-star hotel on August 16, 2025. But the drama followed him there too. Twice during the event, electrical wires were mysteriously cut, plunging the venue into chaos. For supporters, it looked like yet another attempt to derail the release. The trailer is therefore launched on YouTube, despite the problematic launch event.
Why the Resistance?
This isn’t an ordinary film. The Bengal Files explores the 1946 Direct Action Day and the Great Calcutta Killings, a sensitive and politically charged chapter in Bengal’s past. As the concluding part of Agnihotri’s “Files Trilogy,” expectations are high, but so is opposition. The city at the heart of this history seems to be the toughest place to screen it’s story. The ruling party of West Bengal is allegedly behind the roadblocks that the trailer launch event is facing. The movie explores the communal politics of Bengal which is being regarded as a reason for this fallout.
Looking Ahead
Despite repeated setbacks, Agnihotri had vowed that the trailer would launch in Kolkata and it did. He called the problems created by the ruling party “Disruption of freedom”. The film arrives in theatres on September 5, and if the trailer drama is anything to go by, the release will spark even bigger debates.
