Director Vivek Agnihotri shared an open letter from Pallavi Joshi, the actress and producer of 'The Bengal Files', which appealed to the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, for the protection and support regarding the film's release in West Bengal.
Set to release in theatres on September 5, the 'Bengal Files' explores the communal violence that took place in undivided Bengal during the 1940s, including the events of the Direct Action Day and the Noakhali riots of 1946.
In an open letter, Joshi alleges that the film faces an "unofficial ban" in West Bengal, with the theatre owners refusing to screen the movie due to alleged "intimidation" and "threat" by the state's ruling party workers. She wrote, "Respected Madam President. With a heavy heart, I reach out to you, not for favours, but for protection. The Bengal Files, the final part of the Files Trilogy, releases on 5th September. It tells the long-suppressed truth of the Hindu genocide of Direct Action Day, the horrors of Noakhali, and the trauma of Partition. But in West Bengal, truth is under siege. Years before completion, the Chief Minister mocked the film."
Pointing towards the aftermath of the film's announcement, Pallavi Joshi claimed, "Since then, baseless FIRs have been filed, police blocked our trailer, and even newspapers avoid carrying ads. My family is threatened every day by political party workers. Now 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." -- ANI
