The Bengal Files: Pallavi Joshi Appeals To President Droupadi Murmu To Intervene After Multiplexes In West Bengal Refuse To Release Film, Says 'Truth Is Under Seige'

The Bengal Files, helmed by Vivek Agnihotri, has been in the news since the makers unveiled the first look of the movie. It is being silently boycotted in West Bengal as it narrates the 'long-suppressed truth of the Hindu genocide of Direct Action Day, the horrors of Noakhali, and the trauma of Partition'. Multiplex chains have refused to release the movie in the state, and the makers believe it is due to the 'political pressure and threats by the ruling party'. Speaking of which, Pallavi Joshi, who also serves as a producer of the film, has penned a letter to President Droupadi Murmu asking for protection.

Truth Needs Protection: Pallavi Joshi

Taking to her Instagram handle, Pallavi shared a letter with the headline, “AN OPEN LETTER TO HER EXCELLENCY, SMT. DROUPADI MURMU JI" She continued, "Respected Madam President, With a heavy heart, I reach out to you, not for favours, but for protection. But in West Bengal, truth is under siege. Years before completion, the Chief Minister mocked the film. Since then, baseless FIRs have been filed, our trailer was blocked by police, and even newspapers avoid carrying ads. My family is threatened every day by political party workers."

In her letter, Joshi claimed that despite no official ban, “The Bengal Files” is facing an “unofficial ban” in West Bengal as “theatre owners have told us they are being intimidated, threatened and are refusing to screen it, fearing violence by ruling party workers.”

“There is no official ban, yet an unofficial ban silences the film before people can see it.” The actress-producer shared that the film also has the support of veteran actor Victor Banerjee, along with several Bengali organisations in India and abroad.

“The Bengal Files is the cry of Maa Bharati, scarred yet unbroken, a story of survival and hope. As a woman who rose from the margins to the highest constitutional office, only you can truly understand what it means to endure such pain and turn it into purpose. This is cinema of truth. But truth also needs protection," she added.

Concluding her letter, she wrote, "Madam President, I seek not a favour for a film but space for art, for truth, for Maa Bharati's soul to speak without fear. You are my final hope. Please protect our constitutional right and let The Bengal Files be shown in West Bengal peacefully. With respect and gratitude, Pallavi Joshi Producer, The Bengal Files.”

Sharing the letter, Pallavi wrote in the caption, "URGENT APPEAL Your Excellency, @presidentofindia, As Producer of #TheBengalFiles, I am pained that multiplex chains in Bengal have refused the film’s release under political pressure and threats by the ruling party. I plead for your intervention to uphold my constitutional rights and ensure its release in Bengal."

This letter has come after Vivek wrote to WB Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, urging her not to impose a ban on The Bengal Files.

All about The Bengal Files

The film stars Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar,  Saswata Chatterjee, Simrat Kaur, Namashi Chakraborty,  Priyanshu Chatterjee and Rajesh Khera, among others. The Bengal Files is the third and final instalment in Agnihotri's The Files Trilogy based on modern Indian history, following The Tashkent Files (2019) and The Kashmir Files (2022). It will hit the theatres on September 5.

Also Read: Movies Releasing On OTT This Weekend: Maalik, Inspector Zende, Kannappa, Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan And More To Watch