Exclusive: Vivek Agnihotri on India's soft power, 10 US premieres of Bengal Files
Filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri on Friday announced that he would showcase his upcoming film 'The Bengal Files' at 10 grand premieres in the US. In an interview with India Today.in, the director now opened up on promoting his film as 'India's soft power', and beginning the worldwide promotions first than marketing the film in India.'The Bengal Files', which is the third chapter in his trilogy, will be screened at mega-premieres across the United States, starting July 19 in New Jersey and concluding on August 10 in Houston. The premiere tour will include special screenings in key cities like Chicago, Atlanta, Washington DC, Raleigh, Tampa, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area.advertisementAgnihotri spoke about his decision to screen the film in the US first, and said, "At the time of 'The Kashmir Files', the first film of my trilogy, I had realized that Indian films don't work as the soft power for India to create a grand narrative in the world. Therefore, we decided to showcase our films in different parts of the world, even before they are released in India. We have seen the success of the Kashmir Files, we have seen the grand, unprecedented success of 'The Kashmir Files'."
The director said his films stand for the truth, the kind of uncomfortable narrative that most filmmakers shy away from. He explained, "Because these narratives people wanted to know, these truths people wanted to know, but nobody was telling them. The films which had truth in them were made small like our films, but they were only for domestic consumption, and the world never got to know about those stories. So therefore, instead of going to the international market, we decided that we will go top to down."advertisementAgnihotri talked about what he called the 'top to bottom' approach for the promotion of his film. He said the journey of 'The Bengal Files' promotions will begin in the US with the 10 grand premieres across the country."We will start with international market and come to India. This is something which is very close to my heart, and I am very very happy, delighted and proud that the Bengal Files is going to reach people in US, policymakers, congressmen, senators, media people, blacks, Jews, people from different diverse international communities, and they will understand that what happens when a community is being persecuted for more than 1000 years. And it also gives a message that why it is so important for every citizen of the world to protect humanity," he went on. Agnihotri continues, "And this film conveys that, and that's why I am taking this film to the USA, and all the local organisers and our national partners in the USA, Kohona and GKPD, are working so hard. And this work is done only by volunteers. It's not a commercial project; it's a purely philanthropic charity and non-profit exercise by the volunteers who want to promote truth cinema."advertisementAgnihotri's decision to promote 'The Bengal Files' in the overseas market first also comes from the audience's response to 'The Kashmir Files' in the same market. The filmmaker enjoys a growing global appeal and the rising excitement for his kind of cinema beyond India.A teaser for 'The Bengal Files' was released earlier this month, featuring all the prominent cast members. One striking scene featured Goddess Durga's idol engulfed in flames. Later, as the scene became a topic of discussion on social media, the filmmakers clarified that they had backed the story by thorough research.The teaser was headlined as: "If Kashmir hurt you, then Bengal will haunt you."The Bengal Files is written and directed by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri and produced by Abhishek Agarwal and Pallavi Joshi. It stars Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi, Anupam Kher, and Darshan Kumar. The film, presented by Tej Narayan Agarwal and I Am Buddha, is a part of Agnihotri's Files trilogy that includes 'The Kashmir Files' and 'The Tashkent Files'. It will arrive in theatres on September 5, 2025.- Ends
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