Vivek Agnihotri’s ‘The Bengal Files’ trailer launch stopped twice after hotel wires cut

The trailer launch of Director Vivek Agnihotri’s upcoming film The Bengal Files was abruptly stopped shortly after being announced during an event at the ITC Royal Bengal in Kolkata on Saturday.

The launch was reportedly halted twice amid major chaos, with electrical wires inside the hotel reportedly cut to prevent the screening. Major confusion erupted when police entered the hotel ballroom to stop the trailer launch for the second time, leading to heated discussions.

Agnihotri was later escorted out of the hotel by his private security team.


According to hotel authorities, the director did not have Kolkata Municapl Corporation's permission to host the event.

Agnihotri condemned the interruption, calling it a violation of his rights and a threat to Bengali identity. “It is autocracy. My theatre trailer launch was stopped. Twice the trailer launch was stopped inside the hotel. Bengal is demographically changing,” he said.

Speaking to ET, he added that the halt was an attack on Bengali "asmita", especially at a time when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is highlighting the state’s cultural identity in several political protests.

Agnihotri further expressed concern that demographic changes, which began during the 1946 Bengal killings, continue to pose a major threat to the state. He called the incident a “sad commentary on our democracy.”

The teaser of The Bengal Files was unveiled in Kolkata amid the disruption.

The film explores the turbulent events of 1946 in Bengal, including communal killings and the partition of the region, marking the final chapter in Agnihotri’s “Files Trilogy,” which also includes The Tashkent Files (2019) and The Kashmir Files (2022).

Meanwhile, the reasons behind the repeated stoppage of the trailer launch remain unclear.