The Bengal Files teaser: Vivek Agnihotri's trilogy continues with chilling look at Bengal's past

The Kashmir Files and The Tashkent Files are just two of filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri's politically charged features; the third and final instalment of the "Vivek Files" trilogy is soon to be released. The film's alteration from The Delhi Files to The Bengal Files: Right to Life has stoked even more curiosity regarding its potential plot.

Teaser hints at trauma and turmoil

A teaser for The Bengal Files debuted, giving viewers a glimpse of what seems to be yet another gripping thriller with deep historical roots. As is typical of Agnihotri's direction, the teaser features disturbingly stark images. A feeling of historical injustice, emotional trauma, and violent struggle are prominent in the opening scenes, which are reminiscent of his earlier films.

Reciting the Preamble to the Constitution as he walks dishevelledly into a deserted corridor, Mithun Chakraborty is a remarkable scene. Indicative of the film's potential exploration of grave human rights abuses is the fact that he does it with a burnt tongue. 

ALSO READ: Confirmed: Vivek Agnihotri's The Delhi Files is now The Bengal Files, teaser date out 

Exploring Bengal's forgotten bloodshed

Direct Action Day and the Noakhali riots—which Agnihotri describes as a Hindu genocide—are among the communal violence episodes covered in the film, which takes place in undivided Bengal in the 1940s. He truly believed that "the destiny of India is written in Delhi and not in Bengal," and he titled the film The Delhi Files to highlight this belief.

This film employs a cinematic narrative to depict the Great Calcutta Killings, or Direct Action Day, that occurred in August 1946. The outbreak of communal violence in Bengal, which greatly influenced India's journey to independence and division, is the real-life inspiration for the plot.

Backed by a familiar team and cast

The film was created by Agnihotri in collaboration with Abhishek Agarwal and Pallavi Joshi through their production companies, I Am Buddha Productions and Abhishek Agarwal Arts. Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, and Darshan Kumar—who have all been seen in The Kashmir Files—are part of the ensemble.

Filmmakers claim that The Bengal Files: Right to Life would go into yet another obscure period in India's past. While the teaser reveals little, the title suggests that fundamental rights will be a major focus, possibly by examining historical political violence or humanitarian disasters in Bengal.

Release date and cultural impact

On September 5, 2025, the film will be released in theatres. This film will conclude the trilogy, following the releases of The Tashkent Files in 2019 and The Kashmir Files in 2022. The latter two were contentious but commercially successful.

The teaser has ignited discussion online, but in the days to come, we should learn more about the story and any historical allusions it contains.