A day before the scheduled release of The Bengal Files on September 5, producer-actor Pallavi Joshi made a heartfelt appeal to President Droupadi Murmu, highlighting that multiplex owners in West Bengal have refused to screen the film amid political pressure. She urged the President to intervene and protect her constitutional rights. Sharing her open letter on Instagram, Pallavi wrote, “URGENT APPEAL: Your Excellency, @presidentofindia, as producer of #TheBengalFiles, I am deeply pained that multiplex chains in Bengal have declined to release the film due to threats and political pressure from the ruling party. I plead for your intervention to uphold my constitutional rights and ensure the film’s release in Bengal.”
In her letter, Pallavi addressed the President:
“Respected Madam President, I write to you not for favours but for protection. The Bengal Files, the final chapter of the Files Trilogy, releases on 5th September. It exposes the long-suppressed truth of the Hindu genocide during Direct Action Day, the horrors of Noakhali, and the trauma of Partition. Yet in West Bengal, truth faces harsh resistance. The Chief Minister mocked the film even before its completion.
“Respected Madam President, I write to you not for favours but for protection. The Bengal Files, the final chapter of the Files Trilogy, releases on 5th September. It exposes the long-suppressed truth of the Hindu genocide during Direct Action Day, the horrors of Noakhali, and the trauma of Partition. Yet in West Bengal, truth faces harsh resistance. The Chief Minister mocked the film even before its completion.
Since then, baseless FIRs have been lodged, the trailer was blocked by police, and newspapers have refused to carry ads. My family faces daily threats from political party workers. Theatre owners have confided they are intimidated and fear violence from ruling party supporters, leading to their refusal to screen the film. Though there is no official ban, an unofficial ban is silencing the film before audiences can see it.
”She added, “Padma Bhushan Victor Banerjee and many Bengali organizations in India and abroad have petitioned you in support, proving truth still has champions. The Bengal Files is the cry of Maa Bharati—scarred yet resilient—a story of survival and hope. As a woman who rose from the margins to the highest constitutional office, only you can truly understand such pain transformed into purpose. This is cinema of truth, but truth needs protection. I seek not a favour for a film but space for art, truth, and Maa Bharati’s soul to speak without fear. You are my final hope.
Please safeguard our constitutional right and allow The Bengal Files to screen peacefully in West Bengal.”The film’s ensemble cast includes Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Simrat Kaur, Saswata Chatterjee, Namashi Chakraborty, Rajesh Khera, Puneet Issar, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Sourav Das, and Mohan Kapur.
