‘The Diary of West Bengal’: Film an effort to tarnish Bengal’s image, says Soham

Kolkata: A day after Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kunal Ghosh criticised why influential personalities in Tollywood have stayed silent about the release of the Hindi film, ‘The Diary of West Bengal’, which allegedly portrays the state in bad light, Bengali actor and TMC MLA Soham Chakraborty voiced his strong disapproval on social media. He condemned the film, calling it an effort to damage Bengal’s reputation.

“As a common citizen of the state, it is disheartening to see a few people trying to defame our Bengal without any valid reason for their own or specific party interests. The newly-released Hindi film is attempting to do just that by spreading false information about our state. Such misinformation is reaching people outside the state, but nowadays, people are well-informed about the real situation of each state, so they can discern between accurate and misleading information,” wrote the ‘Bojhena Se Bojhena’ actor.

Soham also bashed the Hindi film industry in his post: “If you look closely, many Hindi films in recent years aim not to entertain or educate but to spread hatred, prejudice, and misinformation, using the medium for their own interests. I cannot support such efforts because they misrepresent my state,” he posted on social media.

‘The Diary of West Bengal’, directed by Sanoj Mishra, has sparked controversy in Bengal. The state’s police issued a legal notice to the director, accusing him of insulting Bengal’s honour. Despite this, the Calcutta High Court did not grant a stay on the film, and it was released in theatres on Friday, though no screenings are scheduled in Bengal.