The Bengal Files Actor Sourav Das, Who Plays Gopal Patha, On The Row: "If I Play Hitler..."

NDTV

16 hours ago

New Delhi:
Vivek Agnihotri's The Bengal Files triggered a massive row ever since the trailer dropped on Saturday in Kolkata. Sourav Das, who plays Gopal Mukherjee -popularly knows as Gopal Patha - addressed the controversy during a recent interaction in Kolkata.
What's Happening
During a conversation with TV9 Bangla, Sourav Das tried to distance himself from the controversy.
Asked if he's aware of the subject of the film, Sourav said, "I knew about my character only. I was not aware of the script. That's how work is done nowadays. It's a very strong character that I was offered. And it's a Hindi film where actors from all over the country have worked. I am nobody compared to the stars who have worked in the film."
Establishing his point, Sourav said, "If I play Hitler any day, that wouldn't turn me into a Nazi supporter."
Gopal Patha Fiasco
Shantanu Mukherjee, the grandson of Gopal Mukehrjee, has filed a complaint at Bowbazar Police Station, accusing director Vivek Agnihotri of showing his grandfather in poor light.
He alleged that the film had blemished the image of his grandfather, who, he said, "was a brave heart who had taken up arms to fight for the Bengalis." He told The Indian Express,"I have filed a complaint with my local police station (Bowbazar police station) and my lawyer has also sent a legal notice to the director for tarnishing the image of my grandfather."
According to him, Agnihotri neither took the family's permission nor approached them before making the film. "The director never took any permission from us or even tried to meet us and speak to us regarding my grandfather. Derogatory terms were used against my grandfather," he said.
An excerpt from his letter read: "... Recent interviews of the said Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri about my late grandfather Sri Gopal Chandra Mukherjee have been spoken of and depicted in a very poor light and in an utterly defamatory manner. Till date, there has not been any research project on my grandfather across Indian universities and hence, each info available in the social arena stem from us and except it, all is hearsay."
The Bengal Files Controversy
On August 16, the trailer launch event in Kolkata was reportedly cancelled under "political pressure."
Later, the event got shifted to a hotel and the trailer was launched at 1 pm on Saturday. In a video message, Agnihotri said, "I have just been informed that all the wires have been cut. Who is giving these instructions, and why, I don't know. Multiple FIRs have already been filed against us. This is a private hotel - how can they stop us here when we have the necessary permission? If this is not dictatorship, then what is? If this is not fascism, then what is? Look at the number of policemen present, as if we are criminals."
Following the trailer release, there were several allegations that Agnihotri had distorted history during his portrayal of the 1946 riot in Kolkata.
The Bengal Files features Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Mohan Kapur, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Pallavi Joshi, Saswata Chatterjee and Puneet Issar, among others in key roles. The film is slated for a release in theatres on September 5, 2025.