The Bengal Files First REVIEW: Is Vivek Agnihotri's Film Worth Watching?

The Bengal Files first review: A lot has been said and written about Vivek Agnihotri's The Bengal Files. The director is not new to controversies. In fact, he has been embroiled in controversies many times in his career. Controversy is not a new phenomenon in Agnihotri's career, as his 2022 film The Kashmir Files was criticised for being a 'propaganda' project for the ruling party in India.

Three years later, Vivek Agnihotri is back with yet another hard-hitting subject. With The Bengal Files, the director promises to showcase the Great Calcutta Killings and the Noakhali riots, and their impact in Bengal. In the trailer, he depicted the violence faced by the people and its aftermath as a genocide.

Before its release in the overseas market, the film hit another roadblock as there had been delays in approval from local censor boards. This means the political drama won't hit the silver screens in the international territories on its scheduled date.

The film's producer and actor Pallavi Joshi wrote a letter to President Droupadi Murmu, requesting her to protect her constitutional rights as multiplex owners in West Bengal allegedly denied to screen her film in the state.

Amid all the hullabaloo surrounding the film, the main question is - Is The Bengal Files really worth watching? Read on to know.

THE BENGAL FILES REVIEW: SHOULD YOU WATCH FILM?

Ahead of the release, a few tweets, claiming to be the first review, went viral on social media.

Trade analyst Rohit Jaiswal shared his two cents about The Bengal Files, posting his review on X. He described the film as a 'gut-wrenching cinematic experience', stating that it dares to bring alive the horrors of Direct Action Day (1946). He further said that the jaw-dropping sequences might shake the audience.

"Directed by VIVEK AGNIHOTRI doesn't flinch from showing the brutality, the power games, and the human cost of DIRECT ACTION DAY... The performances are outstanding SIMRATT KAUR, NAMASHI CHAKRABORTY, PALLAVI JOSHI & DARSHAN KUMAR delivers a powerhouse act filled with rage and vulnerability, supporting starcast like Anupam kher, Mithun Chakraborty, Saswata and Sourav Das too adds strength. The film achieves both scale and soul, ensuring that the story never feels distant but always personal, its an eye opener, every frame of the film is bone chilling ,every scene is crafted to strike at the conscience of the viewer. It's not just a film, it's history bleeding onto the big screen demanding that we remember, reflect, and never forget....NEVER AGAIN (sic)," Rohit Jaiswal tweeted.

Joginder Tuteja wrote the first review for The Bengal Files on X. He called the film an 'eye-opening experience'.

The Bengal Files stars Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi, Darshan Kumar, Simrat Kaur, Anupam Kher, Saswata Chatterjee, Namashi Chakraborty, Rajesh Khera.