After the crushing defeat, Vivek Agnihotri took a dig at Mamata Banerjee, said – ‘I have been banned in Bengal’

By Samira Vishwas On May 5, 2026

Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri has reacted to the defeat of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from Bhawanipur seat and the subsequent victory of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. Vivek has shared an old video on Instagram in which he talks about the difficulties he had to face during the release of his film The Bengal Files during Mamata Banerjee’s regime.

Telling about that. Vivek Agnihotri has also written a long caption along with the video. they wrote, "Now never again. For those who don’t know, let me tell them that after the release of The Kashmir Files, Mamata Banerjee had actually banned me from entering Bengal. The film was removed from the theatres, and they said I would not be allowed to enter the state.

Vivek Agnihotri’s appeal

Vivek Agnihotri told how he was able to show his film to the people of Bengal before the recent elections. He said, "We never gave up. During these elections, we ensured that #TheBengalFiles was shown to as many people as possible across Bengal. I am glad that we did not give up and continued the struggle, even if in our own small way. And finally this tremendous victory. Congratulations to the great people of Bengal. Now you can walk with your head held high, without any fear."

NEVER AGAIN.
For those who don’t know, @MamataOfficial canceled me in Bengal after the release of #TheKashmirFiles. The film was taken out of cinema halls, and she said I would NOT BE ALLOWED TO ENTER Bengal.
Last year, she BANNED #TheBengalFiles completely in West Bengal. Our… pic.twitter.com/9JzHU2lgwE
— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) May 5, 2026

TMC government did not impose any restrictions

It is worth noting that Mamata Banerjee’s TMC government in West Bengal had not imposed any official ban on The Bengal Files. However, the cinema owners had mutually decided that they would not show the film. Apart from this, none of the cinema owners had issued any official statement explaining their specific reasons for not showing the film.

The Bengal Files

Produced by Abhishek Aggarwal Arts and ‘I Am Buddha Productions’, The Bengal Files is based on the violent unrest in Bengal during the 1940s, with a particular focus on the Calcutta violence of 1946. The film aims to explore how ideology, faith and existence collided during one of the most brutal chapters in Bengal’s history.