Filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri unveiled the official trailer of his upcoming film The Bengal Files on Saturday, August 16, 2025. The film marks the third and final installment in Agnihotri’s politically charged Files Trilogy, following The Tashkent Files (2019) and The Kashmir Files (2022).

While The Tashkent Files delved into the mysterious death of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, and The Kashmir Files portrayed the forced displacement and targeted violence of Kashmiri Pandits in the 1990s, the latest film centers around the 1946 Great Calcutta Killings.

Set against the backdrop of Direct Action Day (August 16, 1946), the film attempts to reconstruct the events that led to widespread violence in Bengal, focusing particularly on the atrocities committed against the Hindu community.

A Glimpse Into the Film

The trailer of The Bengal Files opens with dark, unsettling scenes of Calcutta in 1946, capturing the growing communal tensions and the eruption of mass violence. It features grim visuals of arson, riots, and massacres.

One voiceover in the trailer says, “Yeh Pachim Bangal hai, yaha do constitution chalta hai, ek Hinduo ka, ek Musalmanon ka.” (Translation: “This is West Bengal, where two constitutions apply, one for Hindus, another for Muslims.”)

The trailer concludes with a chilling statement on-screen, “If Kashmir hurt you, Bengal will haunt you.”

Agnihotri, in his post releasing the trailer, wrote, “In memory of the victims of Direct Action Day (16th August 1946), I present to you the official trailer of #TheBengalFiles — the boldest film ever on the untold story of the Hindu genocide. In cinemas 5th September 2025. Please bless us.”

What Was Direct Action Day?

Direct Action Day, declared by the Muslim League on August 16, 1946, led to widespread communal violence, especially in Calcutta (now Kolkata). Intended as a protest for the creation of Pakistan, the day escalated into large-scale riots that left thousands dead and many more displaced.

Release Date

The film is set to release in cinemas across India on September 5, 2025.