Movie: The Bengal Files
Starring: Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Darshan Kumar, Simrat Kaur, Saswata Chatterjee, Sourav Das, Namashi Chakraborty, Rajesh Khera, Puneet Issar
Director: Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri
Genre: Political Drama
Release date: 05.09.2025
Rating: 4/5
By Yogesh Mishra
Producer-director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s The Bengal Files talks about the hard truth of the history that led India towards the partition in 1947. Although the film is about the current political scenario of West Bengal, it takes the audience back to 1946 and broadly showcases the Direct-Action Day and the Noakhali riots.
The story revolves around Shiva Pandit (Darshan Kumaar), an IPS officer working in CBI, Delhi. As a special case, he is transferred to West Bengal to investigate a local MLA, Sardar Husseini (Saswata Chatterjee), who is a prime suspect in the communal riots in that area. Along with the local police, Shiva wishes to carry on his investigation against that local MLA, but very soon he comes to know that, due to political pressure and other threats, even the police department doesn’t wish to do anything against Husseini. Shiva does not get any support even from the center. In his investigation, Shiva interrogates a very old lady, Bharati Banerjee (Pallavi Joshi), who tells him what she has seen and lost in 1946’s Direct Action Day and the Noakhali Riots and how the current situation in West Bengal is similar to that. This way the story takes the audience to the 1946 communal riots in a much more detailed way. The climax is the real crux of the story, so to know what happens at the end, one must watch the film.
Actor Darshan Kumar is the main attraction of the film. His performance, especially in the climax, is mind-blowing. Actresses Pallavi Joshi and Simrat Kaur are another attraction of the film. Sourav Das in the role of Gopal Patha is outstanding. He has fully done justice to his part. Apart from them, other artists like Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Namashi Chakraborty, Rajesh Khera, Puneet Issar, and Saswata Chatterjee have also made their presence felt.
The charisma of Vivek Agnihotri’s direction can be seen in this film. Some genocide scenes look so natural that one can’t watch them with naked eyes. The screenplay and dialogues are written in a well-balanced manner. Some scenes will make the audience shocked, and some will keep you hooked because this chapter of our Indian history is perhaps never shown in this way. The brutal scenes and violence are too much in the film, but that’s the demand of such a script.
Although music does not play a major role in this political drama movie, Rohit Sharma’s music to a large extent is justified and quite impressive.
Overall, this is another masterpiece by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri. Film opens the lost pages of history, especially the eye-opening chapters of 1946. During the partition of India, the role of the top political leaders of Congress, including Mahatma Gandhi, and the Mohammed Ali Jinnah-led Muslim League, is shown in a much more balanced way in the film. The violence scenes are at a much greater level, so this is strongly recommended for a weak-hearted person not to watch. No Indian should miss it, especially those who are keen to know the history of India’s partition, especially the role of Bengal in that. So, why wait? Go and watch it in your nearest cinema hall.
