The Remains of Partition

The Bengal Files | Director: Vivek Agnihotri | Cast: Mithun Chakraborty,
Pallavi Joshi, Darshan Kumar, Simratt Kaur

The Bengal Files is less a movie and more a call to action. In the guise of speaking up for We the People, it asks Hindus to rise against the Unfinished Agenda of Partition. It states that for every murderer of Direct Action Day there is a modern-day equivalent who controls the land mafia, illegal migrant trade, and West Bengal's political ecosystem. And as the minority grows in numbers and power, the majority is left weakened and disenfranchised. These are Mahatma's children, who were never taught how to fight. There are speeches about the Muslims who stayed behind in India and their unquestioned loyalty, about Bengal's renaissance, and about the constitutional right to truth, life and justice. But there is also the "danger" of West Bengal becoming like Kashmir where Hindus will soon be forced into exile because of demographic manipulation. It has scenes of gruesome violence. As a work of art, it tries to disturb and provoke but fails. It is easy to criticise Gandhi but it is equally difficult to imagine our freedom without him.