Kolkata, Sep 13 (IANS) Director Vivek Agnihotri’s movie ‘The Bengal Files’ receiving its first screening in Kolkata on Saturday.

The screening took place at the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Bhasha Bhavan auditorium at National Library in south Kolkata, nearly a week after the film’s nationwide release.

The socio-cultural platform ‘Khola Hawa’ which is considered BJP’s think tank in West Bengal, organised the screening.

It was a closed-door screening, with attendance by invitation only. The audience included filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, BJP leaders, former Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy and others.

In a bid to prevent any untoward incident, a large number of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was deployed at the National Library.

Although the movie premiered across the country on September 5, but theatres in West Bengal did not screen the movie.

The movie is based on communal riots during Direct Action Day in August 1946 in then Calcutta.

The movie is the final part of Agnihotri’s Trilogy, following ‘The Tashkent Files’ and ‘The Kashmir Files’.

“It is a matter of great joy that this film is being screened at the National Library. However, it is also disheartening that, despite being set in Bengal, people of the state are being prevented from watching the movie elsewhere as it cannot be screened in different halls and multiplexes in the state,” Agnihotri told media persons.

It may be noted that Kolkata Police had allegedly stopped the teaser launch of the movie in the city last month. The trailer launch of the film was initially cancelled by a prominent cinema chain in Kolkata. Later, a subsequent attempt to launch the trailer at a five-star hotel was disrupted midway due to police intervention.

In an X post before the special screening, Agnihotri said, “The stage is set. 550 people will watch #TheBengalFiles tonight at the iconic National Library, Kolkata. 2000 in waiting.”

–IANS

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