Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 23: Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri has renamed his upcoming movie from The Delhi Files: The Bengal Chapter to The Bengal Files, ahead of its scheduled release on September 5. In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Agnihotri said the change was made to avoid confusion and better reflect the film’s focus on Bengal.

“Earlier, the film’s name suggested a connection to Delhi events, which led people to think it was about the 1984 Sikh genocide or 2020 Delhi riots. After a social media poll, 99.9% of the audience suggested The Bengal Files, so we changed it,” he explained.

The film, starring Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Darshan Kumaar, Puneet Issar, Govind Namdev, and others, explores Bengal’s turbulent history in the 1940s, covering events like the Great Calcutta Killings, Direct Action Day, and the Noakhali riots.

The teaser released on June 12 sparked legal challenges, with FIRs filed in Murshidabad and Kolkata citing potential communal sensitivity. However, the Calcutta High Court recently imposed an interim stay on both FIRs following Agnihotri and producer Pallavi Joshi’s petition.

The Bengal Files is the third installment in Agnihotri’s 'Files' trilogy, following The Tashkent Files (2019) and The Kashmir Files (2022), both of which stirred political and public debate. The film is set to hit theatres on September 5.