Thursday, September 18, 2025

The Bengal Files - Review and Discussion

Director: Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri
Released: September 5, 2025 
Runtime: ~3¼ hours (about 3:20–3:25) 
Genre: Historical‐Drama / Political / Communal Violence

AI Generated


146.1) What's there in the movie?

One of the harsher, less commonly portrayed periods of Indian history is intended to be shown on screen in The Bengal Files: the Noakhali riots and the communal violence in Bengal in the middle of the 1940s, particularly Direct Action Day (16 August 1946 in Calcutta, then Bengal).

Through a framing storyline, it moves between the 1940s and the present (modern-day West Bengal): a Dalit journalist named Gita Mandal goes missing in Murshidabad, and there are suspicions that a current politician (MLA from a minority community, Sardar Hussein) is involved.

In order to make the horror of those events more visceral, the historical flashbacks dramatise horrifying situations such as mass rapes, massacres, fires, and severe violence (including some extremely graphic descriptions).

146.2) The Direct Action Day

Here is what is known (more or less) from historical sources in order to comprehend how the movie perceives things:

When & What: The All-India Muslim League, under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, announced August 16, 1946, as Direct Action Day. The League believed that constitutional talks were failing to provide sufficient protections for Muslims, hence the aim was to organise a national strike (also known as a "hartal") and protests in British India to push for the demand for a separate Muslim country (Pakistan).

Where: Bengal's Calcutta (now Kolkata) served as the violence's focal point. 

Why it grew worse: Community polarisation, a sluggish negotiation process, mistrust between political parties (Muslim League vs. Congress), and aggressive rhetoric all contributed to the already high level of tension. Additionally, there were organisational flaws: despite the demand for "direct action," there were no precise boundaries, which led to violent protests in several locations.

The violence: There were large-scale conflicts that day. Deaths, injuries, arson, and looting all occurred. Both the Muslim and Hindu communities suffered. Estimates of the number of Hindus killed during the riots that followed the first violence range from between 4,000 to 10,000 in Calcutta alone (according to certain sources). 

Aftermath and Significance: The riots exacerbated mistrust between communities and made it more difficult to politically sidestep the issue of separation. It is frequently mentioned as one of the turning points that made a united India seem more improbable. The violence also reached Noakhali (in Bengal/East) and other places in different forms.

145.3) How does the film handle the Direct Action Day?


145.3.1) Strengths:

Unflinching Visuals: The movie does not hold back when displaying the horror, including rape, mass murder, and mutilations. These are not meant to minimise the horror; rather, they are meant to startle and let the viewer feel it. "Disturbingly graphic… gore and gruesome," according to reviews.

Drama meets History: Rather than rehashing the more frequently reported partition stories from Punjab or Kashmir, the film aims to shed light on lesser-known tales of Bengal's agony, despite some of its speech and characters being fictionalised.

Performance: A few actors receive accolades. Pallavi Joshi and Anupam Kher as Gandhi are two examples of significant figures. Moral quandaries, treachery, and bureaucratic shortcomings are depicted.

145.3.2) Criticism:

Length & Pacing: At about 3.25 hours, many people think the movie lags at points. Certain scenes seem to have been added more for impact than for the sake of the story.

Nuance & Balance: According to several assessments, the movie tends to highlight a certain story—Hindu victimisation in Bengal—while paying less attention to complexity, such as numerous perspectives and historical ambiguity. Communal actors are frequently shown in stark black and white. A few dramatic licenses were taken.

Sometimes, modern framing is forced: It might feel oppressive at times to draw a connection between historical atrocities and current politics. It makes many viewers wonder if this is more about current political commentary than historical learning. It taints the movie, but it's not necessarily awful. 

145.4) Overall Impression

The Bengal Files is a strong, thought-provoking movie. It is successful in raising public knowledge of a traumatic period in Bengal's history. It satisfies individuals who are moved by intense, outrage-filled stories. However, it could feel draining or a little biased to people who want more moderation, more nuance, or a less overpowering sense of responsibility.

145.5) Comparison: Film vs Historical Records


Film’s Depiction

What History Records / Scholarly Consensus

Extremely vivid scenes of violence, including rape, murder, and burning.

Large-scale acts of violence, murder, devastation, fire, and looting are confirmed by historical records. However, for dramatic effect, many specific situations (such as specific violence at specific homes or persons) are dramatised or fictionalised.

Heavy emphasis on Bengal's Hindu victims and the Muslim League's and certain leaders' responsibility.

Although there were many Hindu victims, history frequently record violence on both sides; accountability is nuanced and includes colonial policies, political leadership, and administrative shortcomings.

Depicts Gandhi at points when he suggests that nonviolence is insufficient rather than offering no resistance.

Gandhi's nonviolent ideology was widely accepted in the past, but the extent of violence severely disturbed many leaders and campaigners. It is up for debate if nonviolence "failed." The narrative framing that the movie adopts lays a large portion of the moral burden on those who promoted nonviolence.

The movie implies that after incidents of violence like Direct Action Day and the Noakhali riots, the division of Bengal (east Bengal/Bangladesh) was all but certain.

Numerous historians contend that the failure of discussions, communal rioting, and trust breakdowns all played a factor in the growing likelihood of division. However, the process had other causes, including British politics, the Congress, the League, public opinion, etc.

Contemporary analogies, suggesting that historical conflicts still reverberate and that social polarisation endures.

Drawing boundaries between the past and present is a popular practice in art and history. It is arguable whether or not there are direct analogies, but the movie's decision to make these connections is in line with a story of "history not healed."


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The Bengal Files - Review and Discussion

Director : Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri Released : September 5, 2025  Runtime : ~3¼ hours (about 3:20–3:25)  Genre : Historical‐Drama / Political ...