Acclaimed actor and former Member of Parliament Mithun Chakraborty, who will be seen in the Hindi film The Bengal Files next, is as serious in his preparation for a character as he was decades ago, when he began his filmic journey. The 75-year-old actor, who has won multiple National Film Awards for his work in Hindi and Bengali cinema, does not agree with the perception that The Bengal Files is propaganda or showcases history in a distorted manner. In a group media interaction ahead of the controversial film’s release on September 5, 2025, Mithun Chakraborty spoke to LatestLY about his experience working with The Bengal Files director Vivek Agnihotri, and how difficult it was to say yes to the intense role in the film. Excerpts from the chat with Mithun Chakraborty.

Mithun Chakraborty on Acting in Vivek Agnihotri’s Films

Mithun Chakraborty has been a part of the cast of Vivek Agnihotri’s earlier films, the equally controversial The Kashmir Files (2022) and The Tashkent Files (2019). We asked the three-time National Award-winner about his experience of working with Vivek Agnihotri in his final part of the trilogy, The Bengal Files. Mithun Da said, “We (Vivek and him) get along very well. He understands me as an actor very well.”

Mithun Chakraborty on His Role in ‘The Bengal Files’

Further talking about the director, and his character in The Bengal Files, Mithun Da said, “Woh jo bhi film banata hai, usme ek character toh rakhta hee hai. Toh yeh character banane ke baad main darr gaya tha. Main bola, main yeh nahin kar sakta. Itni taqleef deke kya karoge? Jiski zabaan jala di gayi, woh baat kaise karega? Isko pagal bolte log. Yeh dustbin se khana khata hai Phir hum try karte karte, ek jagah aaye (mimics how a person would speak without a tongue). (Whichever film he would make he always has a character in it for me. But after he created this character in The Bengal Files, I was scared. I said, I cannot do the role. I felt, what will the character do after facing so much difficulty? How will the person whose tongue has been burnt be able to speak? People call him crazy; he eats from the dustbin. We tried some exercises and reached a place of agreement.)”

Bahot taqleef hui iss character ko karne mein, lekin kar diya. Phir aapke upar hai; aap dekhke boliye, kaisa hua.

He added, “So, he liked it and he said, ‘Dada, you do this only’. Bahot taqleef hui iss character ko karne mein, lekin kar diya. Phir aapke upar hai; aap dekhke boliye, kaisa hua. (I faced a lot of difficulty in portraying this character, but we did it. It is up to you (the audience) now. Please watch the film and tell me how it is).

Mithun Chakraborty revealed that he said yes to the film because of the film, and not because he was a Bengali in real life. “Abhi main wohi film karta hoon, jo mujhe excite karti hai. (Now, I only accept films that excite me.) That’s it.”

‘The Bengal Files’ – Watch Trailer:

‘The Bengal Files’ Controversy

Just like Vivek Agnihotri’s earlier films The Kashmir Files and The Tashkent Files, The Bengal Files, too, courted controversy. The trailer launch of The Bengal Files, which was being held in Kolkata, West Bengal, was cancelled by the venue management under political pressure. When the director and cast went ahead with the trailer launch, it was reportedly obstructed by the political party in power in the state. The film aims to showcase the happenings during the 1946 Calcutta Riots or the Great Calcutta Killings on Direct Action Day during the India-Pakistan Partition period.

Shantanu Mukherjee, the grandson of freedom fighter Gopal Chandra Mukherjee, has filed a police complaint against Agnihotri for allegedly changing his grandfather's identity to that of a butcher, Gopal Patha. The portrayal of a lot of events in that era in The Bengal Files is being questioned. Also, The Bengal Files actor Saswata Chatterjee has backtracked on the film, now saying that the full script was not shared with him. ‘The Bengal Files’ Controversy: Actor Saswata Chatterjee Reveals He Was Unaware of Upcoming Film’s Story and Title Change; Director Vivek Agnihotri Hits Back at Criticism (Watch Video).

Mithun Chakraborty’s Reaction to ‘The Bengal Files’ Trailer Launch Being Cancelled in Kolkata

“Every film depicting the truth is hard-hitting,” he said. “All of it (the ruckus in Kolkata) was pre-planned. Jab trailer apne dekha hee nahin toh phir apne band kyun kar diya? (Why did you create an issue when you haven’t even watched the trailer?)” He added, “Iss film mein jo sachhayi, joh mujhe bhi nahin maloom tha, yeh mere janam se pehle ki baat hai. Ek line mein bataya gaya tha ki Noakhali mein hatya hui thi. But kyun hui thi, kaise hui thi, kyun nahin bataya gaya. Phir Great Calcutta Killings ke baare mein ek bhi line nahin padhi thi. Mere saath jo ek generation hai, unko toh kuch pata hee nahin, jo mujhe bhi nahin malum. Toh aapko sachhayi jaanne mein taqleef kya hai? Aapko nahin malum hona hai kya hua tha hamare desh mein? (The film showcases the truth that took place before I was born, and so I didn’t know about these events. History only mentions a line about killings in Noakhali, but nothing about why and how they happened. None of my generation got to read anything about the Great Calcutta Killings. So, don’t you want to hear the truth about what happened in our country?)"

“It was a massacre, wherein 40,000 Hindus were massacred. It was a genocide in Noakhali. Why don’t you want to know what happened and why it happened? So, what is objectionable in telling the truth?” questioned Mithun.

Mithun Chakraborty on ‘The Bengal Files’ Being Termed Propaganda

Refuting the allegations of propaganda against the film, Mithun Chakraborty said, “But yeh propaganda film kyun hoti hai? Why is it called a propaganda film? If you’re making a film to tell the truth, does that become propaganda? It is the problem with the so-called secularism and the so-called pseudo-intellectualism. Inhi ki wajah se hee yeh sab controversy hoti hai. (It’s because of the secularists and pseudo-intellectuals that controversies like these happen. How are they secular?) Ek beef khata hai, suar nahin khata, toh secularism kaise? (One eats beef and does not eat pork, so how is he secular?) Secularism toh woh hoga, jab dono khayenge (Secularism is when one consumes both kinds of food)."

If you’re making a film to tell the truth, does that become propaganda?

About the depiction of Gopal Chandra Mukherjee, Mithun Chakraborty thinks otherwise. “Gopal Patha ko distort nahin kiya gaya,” he said. “But anyway, he (Shantanu) has the right… (to raise a concern). It’s his grandfather, so he will be able to tell it better. Lekin distort karke dikhaya, mujhe toh nahin lagta hai (I don’t think it was distorted). Lekin kahin kahin toh filmic liberty leni padti hai (Filmic liberties have been taken at places). But I do not know which kind of distortion has occurred. Main bol nahin paoonga. (Thus, I won’t be able to speak on it.)”

Mithun Chakraborty further observed, “Yeh jo Partition jab hua tha na, yeh jo Partition ka story hai yeh bahot ajeebo-gareeb hai. Jab aap film dekhoge, pata chalega. (This is a bizarre story about the Partition. When you watch the film, you will know.) And this is the truth that people don’t want revealed. Why does nobodyknow what happened after the genocide in Noakhali? Who was behind hiding it? Why were the Great Calcutta Killings not a part of literature? Don’t we want to know about our history, our Independence struggle? This is a genocide in Noakhali; 40,000 Hindus had been butchered. Murdered. You must know about it."

On ‘The Delhi Files’ Being Renamed to ‘The Bengal Files’

“The files of The Delhi Files belonged to Delhi, but we renamed the film to The Bengal Files because it is based on the Noakhali incident and the Great Calcutta Killings,” explained the veteran actor.

I wish to play Che Guevara, the Cuban revolutionary.

Mithun Chakraborty on His Dream Role

After such an illustrious career, is there a role that Mithun Chakraborty still wants to play? The actor revealed, “Chahte hai koi ke main Osho (Rajneesh) play karun, Osha ka role ada karoon. Toh iske liye yeh saab baatcheet chal rahi hai. Aur mere dil se jo hai, main Che Guevara ka role karna chahta hoon. Che, the revolutionary leader, uska role ada karna chahta hoon. (Some people want me to play Osho. Talks are on for that. And in my heart, I wish to play Che Guevara, the Cuban revolutionary.)

‘The Bengal Files’ Cast

Apart from Mithun Chakraborty and Saswata Chatterjee, The Bengal Files stars Darshan Kumar, Pallavi Joshi, Anupam Kher, Namashi Chakraborty, Simrat Kaur, Eklavya Sood, Rajesh Khera, Puneet Issar, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Sourav Das and Mohan Kapur, among others.

‘The Bengal Files’ Release Date

The Bengal Files will release in theatres on September 5, 2025, which is Teachers’ Day 2025 in India. The OTT release date of The Bengal Files is not out yet, but it may release on ZEE5.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 24, 2025 01:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).