The Bengal Files Review: Vivek Agnihotri’s Hard-Hitting Film That Shakes You
Vivek Agnihotri’s The Bengal Files is not a movie you watch for fun—it’s a film that makes you sit up and face some of the darkest chapters of Bengal’s history. Set around the 1946 riots and partition violence, the story connects a missing journalist in present-day Kolkata to the blood-soaked memories of the past.
The film doesn’t hold back. At more than three hours long, it shows the brutality of those times in graphic detail—streets filled with chaos, families broken apart, and lives lost to hate. Some viewers have praised it as gut-wrenching, raw, and powerful, while others feel it’s too long and too violent. Either way, it refuses to let you walk out unaffected.
The strongest part of the movie is its acting. Pallavi Joshi delivers a moving performance that ties the past to the present. Darshan Kumar as the CBI officer and Simrat Kaur in a layered role also stand out. Anupam Kher, though brief on screen, makes a mark as Gandhi, showing the helplessness of peace in violent times.
Outside the theatres, the film has stirred controversies in West Bengal, with political debates over its release. At the box office, it opened modestly with around ₹1.75 crore on day one, far below Agnihotri’s earlier hit The Kashmir Files.
So, should you watch it? If you’re looking for light entertainment, skip it. But if you want a movie that forces you to think, challenges you emotionally, and shows history in its rawest form, The Bengal Files is a film you won’t easily forget.
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