Saswata Chatterjee isn’t interested in getting dragged into the drama swirling around The Bengal Files. He’s made it pretty clear: he’s an actor, not a historian or a fact-checker.
In his own words, he picks roles he finds interesting and leaves the debates about historical truth to people whose job that is.
Saswata Chatterjee: There Is No Point In Just Making Noise
If experts or concerned parties think the film’s crossed a line, well, that’s for the courts and not for him. No use getting caught up in endless arguments, he says.
The actor also pointed out something about how films work these days. While shooting, the project was called Delhi Files, and it was only after wrapping up that he found out the name had switched to The Bengal Files. That’s not his department—that’s just how the business goes.
And honestly, it’s not like actors get handed the entire script anymore. Chatterjee said all he knew was his own character’s arc, not the whole story. He played the villain, which he was excited about since those kinds of roles don’t come around every day. The rest? Out of his hands.
“I am just an actor. I liked a character and I played it. I am not a historian to think about what history says, and this is distorting history. It’s not my job,” said Chatterjee, adding, “If those whose job it is feel that Bengal is being belittled, then they can go to court with the information. There is no point in just making noise.”
Meanwhile, the film’s sunk into a legal mess, with FIRs piling up—one even from the grandson of Gopal Mukherjee, who claims the film misrepresented his grandfather.
Pallavi Joshi Calls Kolkata Ban On The Bengal Files Trailer A “Blow To Democracy”
Just days after the much-hyped trailer launch for The Bengal Files got shut down by Kolkata cops, Pallavi Joshi, who stars in the film, didn’t hold back. She’s called out the West Bengal government for basically steamrolling their event, and honestly, she’s not wrong to be ticked off.
On August 16th, Agnihotri said they’d booked a swanky hotel in Kolkata for the trailer launch, but the police came in and pulled the plug. The cops, when asked, shrugged and said, “Well, you didn’t get administrative permission,” as if that’s supposed to explain everything.
Joshi didn’t mince words. She called the whole thing “unconstitutional,” saying, look, the movie’s about Bengal, so launching the trailer there just made sense. She said, “The government silenced us. It’s not just high-handed, it’s basically against the Constitution.”
She took it further, saying this wasn’t only about a movie getting blocked—it was an “assault on democracy.” According to her, “The voices of the people, the voice of Bharat, were censored.” The film itself deals with themes like the loss of dignity and the value of human life, and, well, she feels like the government just proved their point for them.
Pallavi Joshi said the chaos that broke out afterwards even left several women journalists injured, and she felt unsafe until Vivek helped her out.
