New Delhi: The controversial Bengal Files directed by Vivek Aghnihotri is set to be screened in West Bengal on 15 May, after the BJP’s landslide victory in the Assembly elections.
The film, first released in theatres on 5 September 2025, was not allowed to be screened in Bengal by the Mamata Banerjee government. Now that the restriction has lifted, Agnihotri shared the news in a social media post, saying, “During these elections, we ensured that #TheBengalfiles was shown to as many people as possible (underground) across Bengal.”
The controversy surrounding the film stems from its exploration of political violence, migration, and ideological conflict in Bengal, in tune with the filmmaker’s pattern of politically charged storytelling seen earlier in The Kashmir Files (2022) and The Tashkent Files (2019). While Agnihotri’s film was not officially banned in Bengal, no screens were allegedly willing to show it. Now, after the shift in political power, theatres appear more willing to screen the film.
Politics of cinema
Indian cinema has witnessed this pattern before.
During the Emergency, Aandhi (1975), the love story between a hotel manager and a politician’s daughter, directed by Gulzar, was banned because one of the characters resembled the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. But the film returned to cinemas after the Janata Party came to power in 1977. What was once seen as politically dangerous slowly transformed into a cult classic.
Similarly, Amrit Nahata’s Kissa Kursi Ka (1978), a satirical film mocking the Emergency, also found itself in a controversy. The masterprints of the film were reportedly seized and destroyed during the Emergency. When the Janata Party came to power, the film was released, and Sanjay Gandhi was sentenced to jail for burning its tapes.
The Diljit Dosanjh starrer Punjab 95, directed by Honey Trehan, also reportedly faced long delays over censorship concerns linked to its portrayal of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. The film struggled for clearance as the censor board demanded 127 cuts.
Another film, The Voice of Hind Rajab, slated for release in March 2026 in India, is still blocked by the censor board. The board is concerned that the film could affect India’s relationship with Israel.
Santosh (2024), written and directed by British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri, is also blocked by the censor board over its theme revolving around misogyny, casteism, and violence in the Indian police force.
From Aandhi to The Bengal Files, a change in government has often changed the fate of films in Indian cinema. These films become more than simply entertainment; they turn into a reflection of power and ideology. They tell us who gets to tell a story in this country.
(Edited by Janaki Pande)