Saswata Chatterjee Distances Himself From The Bengal Files Debate

Saswata Chatterjee has clarified his stance regarding the controversy surrounding The Bengal Files, stating that he is an actor and not a historian. He said that he cannot be held responsible for the political aspects of the plot. Saswata also mentioned that he was not informed about the title change of the film, from The Delhi Files to The Bengal Files, and was only given details about his character after he was cast. The comments from Saswata Chatterjee followed the cancellation of The Bengal Files’ trailer launch by Kolkata authorities. This action led director Vivek Agnihotri to accuse the state government of being fascists. The film also faces several police reports in West Bengal for its alleged negative depiction of the state.

 Saswata Chatterjee told The Wall, “I am just an actor. I liked a character and I played it. I am not a historian to think about what history says and this is distorting history. It’s not my job. If those whose job it is feel that Bengal is being belittled, then they can go to court with the information. There is no point in just making noise.”

Saswata Chatterjee, who plays the antagonist in the film, shared that he found his role quite captivating and accepted the part without having read the complete script. Regarding the potential non-release of the film in West Bengal, he responded by saying, “I don’t know. Let me tell you this. Nowadays, it’s a trend, the whole story won’t be told to anyone. You only get to know your track, your character. And when I was told about the role [in The Bengal Files], I found the character to be amazing. It’s a villain’s character and very few people get such characters to play.”

Regarding the title change, Chatterjee clarified, “While the shooting was going on, the name of the film was Delhi Files and after the shooting was completed, I came to know that it was changed to The Bengal Files. That is not in my hands.” He further mentioned that expressing objections to the new title would be useless for those who disagree with it.

Should the controversy escalate, the release of The Bengal Files might be postponed in West Bengal. It is currently slated to release in theatres on September 5, 2025.

Also Read: Saswata Chatterjee on a sweet moment with co-star Deepika Padukone on the sets of Kalki 2898 AD