The Bengal Files Movie Review: Where history meets human tragedy

Revisiting a violent past

The plot begins with the mysterious disappearance of journalist Gita Mandal, prompting the CBI to assign officer Shiva Pandit (Darshan Kumaar) to the case. His investigation quickly points toward Sardar Hosseini (Saswata Chatterjee), a powerful MLA, but the absence of solid evidence and mounting political pressure threaten to derail the inquiry. Along the way, Shiva encounters Bharati Banerjee (Pallavi Joshi), an elderly woman whose fading memory still carries vivid fragments of Partition’s brutality. Through her recollections, the film revisits some of the darkest chapters of Indian history—the Noakhali massacres and Direct Action Day, sparked by Jinnah’s call that accelerated the demand for Pakistan. These two threads—the present-day investigation and the past’s haunting memories—unfold side by side, reminding us how violence can destroy trust more swiftly than any act of politics ever could.

Performances ground the drama

What saves ‘The Bengal Files’ from being swallowed by its own heaviness are the actors. Pallavi Joshi in the role of Bharati Banerjee becomes more of a cinematic medium for Agnihotri to propel the plot further, while Darshan Kumar in the role of Shiva Pandit lends a sincerity that keeps the film human. Anupam Kher in the role of Mahatma Gandhi brings a quiet steadiness, the kind of gravitas that makes his speeches feel less like lectures and more like lived wisdom. Mithun Chakraborty, with his weathered screen presence, anchors the narrative whenever it starts to sprawl. Even supporting players rise to the moment, adding texture instead of just filling space. With them, it holds onto an emotional pulse, however faint, amid all the chaos.

Where the film stumbles

For all its intent, the film often gets in its own way. The runtime is its biggest enemy—long speeches and repeated points slow the momentum in the second half. Subtlety is nowhere to be found; this is cinema that prefers underlining in bold rather than letting meaning seep through. The violence, relentless and explicit, sometimes blunts its own impact by offering no pause to reflect. Then there’s the issue of politics overshadowing people—characters occasionally come across as symbols in service of the narrative rather than individuals shaped by it. ‘The Bengal Files’ is not an easy film to endorse, but it is not easy to dismiss either. Its graphic storytelling and ideological slant may alienate some viewers, but it compels you to reflect on a buried past. The film does not just recount history; it provokes, agitates, and unsettles. Whether you agree with its framing or not, it leaves you with questions, bitterness, and an undeniable urge to re-examine a history that continues to shape the present.

A film meant to provoke

Still, one thing is undeniable—‘The Bengal Files’ doesn’t leave you indifferent. You may admire its audacity, question its perspective, or bristle at its choices, but you will feel something. That’s rare in today’s cinema, where so much passes by like background noise. This isn’t an easy film, nor a perfect one. But in its insistence on discomfort, it forces you to reckon with a history that has been left on the margins. For some, that will feel like a necessary act of remembrance; for others, it will feel like selective storytelling. Either way, it achieves what it sets out to do: it makes you walk out of the theatre unsettled.

Rating: 3.5/5

Director: Vivek Agnihotri

Cast: Darshan Kumaar, Pallavi Joshi, Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Saswata Chatterjee, and Simratt Kaur.

Watch exclusive interview of Vivek Agnihotri