Calcutta High Court moved seeking stay on ‘The Bengal Files’ release

Kolkata: Shantanu Mukherjee, grandson of Gopal Mukherjee, popularly known as ‘Gopal Patha’ and depicted in the upcoming film The Bengal Files, has approached the Calcutta High Court seeking a stay on the movie’s release in Bengal, scheduled for Friday.

The petitioner’s counsel argued before the bench of Justice Amrita Sinha that Gopal Mukherjee has been portrayed in a “ghastly” and dishonourable manner in the film. They demanded the complete removal of scenes defaming him and sought scrutiny over director Vivek Agnihotri’s position in the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), questioning how he could simultaneously serve as a board member while running a production house.

Advocate Debanjan Mukherjee said: “We want the director to stop misusing the name and identity of a historic person who was a freedom fighter.”

In August, Shantanu Mukherjee had lodged a complaint with Bowbazar Police against Vivek Agnihotri, alleging the filmmaker used derogatory terms about his grandfather without the family’s permission. According to Shantanu, Agnihotri referred to Gopal Mukherjee as a butcher and linked him to violent incidents during the 1946 Direct Action Day, damaging his reputation as a freedom fighter.

During the hearing, the absence of CBFC and Central government counsels was noted. The court gave time to Mukherjee’s counsel to bring the respondents. “CBFC is required to be heard…You come on the very last day. Without hearing the respondent, how can it be done?” Justice Sinha observed, noting that the police complaint had been filed on August 23. Mukherjee’s counsel could not secure the CBFC’s presence and the matter was scheduled for further hearing on Monday.

Agnihotri had earlier claimed that the Kolkata Police had halted the trailer launch of The Bengal Files—based on the 1946 Calcutta riots—“at the last moment”, questioning whether Bengal followed a “special Constitution”. Police sources confirmed that the director had sent an email requesting permission for the trailer launch, which was not granted.