Unconstitutional: Pallavi Joshi slams police action at Bengal Files trailer launch
The makers of the upcoming film ‘The Bengal Files’ on Monday slammed the West Bengal government for creating hurdles at the trailer launch event in Bengal. Actor-producer Pallavi Joshi spoke about what transpired on August 16 and called the state government’s action not just arbitrary but also unconstitutional.
Joshi lashed out against the Mamata Banerjee government at the trailer launch event in Delhi. She said, “Because the story is rooted in Bengal, we felt it would be most appropriate to launch the trailer in Bengal in August, but the government silenced us. We feel it is an act which is not only arbitrary but also unconstitutional.”
“Our trailer launch was stopped on very laughable grounds. They said we didn’t have municipal permission…The videos are about the chaos that followed. Many women journalists got hurt. I was also very uncomfortable. Thanks to Vivek, we managed to get out. We feel the police and the government are forgetting their basic duty, i.e protecting its citizens, especially women, and their modesty. That should have been the sole priority of women,” she added.
Joshi further expressed that the action of the government proved that the theme of their film is right. She said, “What happened that day was not merely an assault on the film, but an assault on democracy itself. The voices of people and the voice of Bharat were suppressed and censored. The absence of dignity and the absence of the value of human life are the themes of our film. The government proved our theme is correct.”
The trailer launch further saw ‘The Bengal Files’ director Vivek Agnihotri talking about the passing censor without any cuts, multiple FIRs against him, and what led to the shutdown of the trailer launch in Bengal.
‘The Bengal Files’ is the third and final instalment in Agnihotri’s Files trilogy, after ‘The Tashkent Files’ (2019) and ‘The Kashmir Files’. The film explores the Hindu genocide and communal violence, including the events of 1946 Direct Action Day and the Noakhali riots of 1946.
The film is scheduled for a theatrical release on September 5, 2025.
