Subhash K Jha talks with director Vivek Agnihotri about his film The Bengal Files being banned in West Bengal.
Vivek, The Bengal Files is days from release,but there is no clarity on whether it will be released in West Bengal?
I am appealing through this interview to West Bengal’s chief minister Mamata Banerjee to let people see the truth about what really happened in Bengal, why its was divided into two parts. She can’t hide the truth. Nobody can. Let people see what I have to say about the genocide that happened in Bengal. There are so many films on the Nazi holocaust and the bombing of Hiroshima. No one has ever stopped them from having their say. Then why should Bengal see the truth about what happened to the State?
You are getting death threats?
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I have a family, a wife and child. I’m worried also about the state of affairs because then what will happen is, see, we have a history of making sociopolitical films in this country. Everybody has made it. I mean, so many great filmmakers have made it, but now it’s become so difficult to make them.
But how many of them actually tell the truth, Vivek?
You know, we have had great films, as you said, on the freedom fight or the communal riots, the famous riots, the holocausts in India and abroad. So, if I am reaching out into the past to tell us a story that we don’t known , even I didn’t know anything about this, why am I being targeted?
A lot of so-called historical cinema in our country is very subjective?
Many of them are impressionist films. They are creating certain impressions people have in their mind. Imagine in the Hindi film industry, nobody has made a film on the Partition, which actually happened in Bengal. Bengal was partitioned twice, not once. But nobody knows. I mean, people see films like Gadar and they think that all partition happened because of Punjab. But even people who claim to make truthful films, you know, on the Partition, also did not tell the truth , because I think the reason is, Subhash, most of the writers and filmmakers in Bombay came from Punjab. The Bengal Files is a very difficult, painful film to watch, but it’s very engrossing.
But you have the family of one of the historical characters Gopal coming forward to say that, you know, you are not showing him in a good light?
See, Subhash, what happens in political films, you know, these kind of films, at the last minute, a lot of people come and claim lots of things. Gopal Mukherjee’s grandson has been talking to me on the phone for a very, very long time. I know him. See, and he’s also a TMC (The All India Trinamool Congress) member, so he has political compulsions. So I don’t know why he’s saying what he’s saying.
Do you think The Bengal Files will release in Bengal?
First, they cancelled our multiplex screening of her trailer. I never in my wildest dream thought that she can or anybody can ever, ever stop a trailer in a five-star hotel. Never heard of it. This is never heard of. I don’t want to comment on Mamata Banerjee. But one thing I definitely know that anybody, I mean, no sane person will ever want to stop this film in Bengal. Because this is going to heal Bengali community, it’s going to bring out the glory and the great renaissance of Bengal to every child and young person in this country. Bengal will be seen in a different light. Also, the kind of pain and trauma Bengal has suffered. Somebody has to be an idiot. Somebody has to be very, very sinister. Otherwise, or somebody’s a member of Muslim League that they want to cover up the truth. I’m very sad. As a filmmaker, I think this is a very sad commentary on how limited the freedom of expression is in our country. See, legally no one can stop it. Constitutionally no one can stop it. It can be stopped only illegally and unconstitutionally. So anybody who has taken oath of Indian Constitution cannot and should not and must not stop it. But if somebody is going to do that, then people will also understand that democracy is threatened. And I’ll take the legal constitutional route. Whatever I have to do, I’ll do. But I’m not someone who’s going to give up. I’m a fighter I’ll fight for this film. And this fight is not only for the film, but it’s fight for all the freedom fighters of this country. And for all the people who have suffered in the genocide of Bengal for all their families. So I’ll fight for on their behalf.
