The Bengal Files review: Movie‑goers cry watching ruthless portrayal of pre‑partition Bengal; netizens call it 'propaganda'

The Bengal Files: Right to Life is the third film in Vivek Agnihotri's 'Files Trilogy.' The first one was 'The Tashkent Files (2019),' the second was 'The Kashmir Files (2022),' and now in this series of his files saga, Vivek Agnihotri has turned his focus to Bengal.

The film was released in theaters on September 5 but was not screened in West Bengal. However, it has been reported that the film will have its first screening in Kolkata on September 13, 2025. As per reports, the event will take place at Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Bhasha Bhavan.

Reportedly, the film faced an unofficial ban in the city, and to sort the matter, filmmakers Vivek Agnihotri and Pallavi Joshi wrote to the President of India regarding the matter.

About the Film

With a runtime of 3 hours and 25 minutes, The Bengal Files delves deeper into the darkest chapter of Bengal that showcases communal violence that gripped Bengal in the 1940s, focusing specifically on the 1946 Great Calcutta Killings (Direct Action Day) and the Noakhali riots.

This lesser-known, blood-soaked chapter of Indian history is portrayed in horrifying and graphic detail. Many movie-goers who have watched the film have taken to social media and shared screenshots and stills from the film that show grave communal violence.

Viewers who have watched and reviewed the film online have raised questions about the origins, consequences, and aftermath of such brutality. A section of netizens even questioned the government's historical stance and handling of these incidents.

Despite its hard-hitting message and a powerful message against communal violence, the film is filled with brutal and graphic scenes that include depictions of rape, assaults and more.

Netizens have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to share their reactions. While some praised the film for spotlighting a dark and often overlooked part of Indian history, others criticised its intense and disturbing portrayal of events. Some called it a depiction of the darkest chapter in Indian history, while others dismissed it outright as propaganda.

A user mentioned, "The imagery is intense and unrelenting, and the performances often feel screechy and over-the-top. Ultimately, while the film claims to question communal violence, the only answer it seems to arrive at is more violence—a contradiction that lingers long after the credits roll."

The next one mentioned, "The Bengal Files is not just a film—it is a historical document that dares to expose the murky realities of Partition, long hidden under the rug of secularism and political correctness."

The third one mentioned, "Entire Bollywood is thankful to Ganpati Bappa... "The Bengal Files" producer will now stop making films...Mr Vivek Agnihotri has not just become insane but has no craftsman skill nor a storytelling skill.."

Another wrote, "The Bengal Files has shown only a very small fraction of whatever happened in Bengal. If the complete discourse of Bengal, starting right from the first proposal of Bengal Partition by Lord Curzon up to the present time, is made, it's going to be a political epic of Modern Bharat. If made well, it would be a lesson & reference material for future generations in the audio-visual media. Someone must make a web series season by season, portraying discourse starting from 1901 to 2026."

The fifth one wrote, "Painfully pretentious, carelessly executed, deliberately provocative, & unbearably long, #TheBengalFiles fails on nearly every count of filmmaking. A confused blend of two subplots, it stands as #VivekRanjanAgnihotri's weakest work to date. One of 2025's most disappointing films.

Another was of the view that, "The Bengal Files mixes history with drama. Direct Action Day was complex, affecting multiple communities. Dramatising real figures one-sidedly risks misleading viewers, fictionalising events, and turning history into political propaganda, need more reasons?" wrote one on Twitter. Another added, "The Kashmir Files & Bengal Files are based on pure religious and hate propaganda."

A video from the theatres has emerged on social media, showing movie-goers crying after watching the film. The clip also shows Vivek Agnihotri interacting with the movie watchers inside the theatre.

In the clip, Vivek is seen consoling a woman as she cries after watching the film, which has garnered mixed responses from social media users. As the video went viral, a section of netizens is of the view that, after Saiyaara, every other PR team is using the same strategy, hiring and paying people to cry in theatres so that it impacts the masses and pulls the crowd to cinema halls. 

Meanwhile, many said that the film could genuinely evoke emotions and anger, as it is based on a true story and real facts.

The Bengal Files features an ensemble cast led by Mithun Chakraborty alongside Anupam Kher and Pallavi Joshi, who also produced the film. Darshan Kumarr and Simrat Kaur play key roles. The cast also includes Saswata Chatterjee, Namashi Chakraborty, Rajesh Khera, Puneet Issar, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Sourav Das, and Mohan Kapur.

Box office 

Bengal Files clashed with Baaghi 4 and The Conjuring: Last Rites. Well, it was the Hollywood film The Conjuring that shattered all records and emerged as the clear-cut winner, overshadowing Baaghi 4 and The Bengal Files.

And now, by the end of the first week, the collection of The Conjuring: Last Rites is Rs 67.87 crore. Meanwhile, Tiger Shroff's Baaghi 4 has not managed to cross the Rs 50 crore mark in the last week.

The Bengal Files has collected the lowest among all three movies. According to Sacnilk, The Bengal Files saw some growth over its first weekend on Saturday and Sunday. After that, the film collected around Rs 1 crore per day through the week, and by the end of week 1, after Thursday's numbers, the movie had made Rs 11.25 crore. On day 8, till morning shows, the collection was around Rs 11 lakh on the second Friday. The total now stands at Rs 11.39 crore.