Actor Anupam Kher will be playing Mahatma Gandhi in filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s upcoming film ‘The Bengal Files’.
On Sunday, Kher took to Instagram and posted a short behind-the-scenes clip from the film’s set. The black-and-white video showed him walking with his arm casually resting on the shoulders of director Agnihotri and an assistant director.
Sharing the video, he wrote, “From the sets of @vivekagnihotri’s #TheBengalFiles! @pallavijoshiofficial #Gandhi #BehindTheScenes”.
‘The Bengal Files’ is reportedly based on Direct Action Day, 1946, which left Bengal burning with communal riots.
In the story, Gandhi himself plays a central role, as he had camped in Noakhali for several months during that time, trying to bring peace and heal the wounds of communal violence.
Actress and producer Pallavi Joshi, who is co-producing ‘The Bengal Files’ along with Agnihotri and Abhishek Agarwal, recently spoke about the roadblocks the film has already faced. According to her, the trailer launch of the film in Kolkata was deliberately stopped by the ruling party in West Bengal, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
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Speaking to IANS earlier, she said, “It was very clearly done by the ruling party, and we are making no bones about it. We knew we would face resistance, but we didn’t expect it to this extent.”
Anupam Kher as Mahatma Gandhi:
The makers had planned to release the trailer on August 16 in Kolkata. It marks the anniversary of Direct Action Day. However, the permission was reportedly denied at the last moment.
Joshi added, “It was very significant for us to choose Kolkata to release the trailer on that day. But unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”
The film also features veteran star Mithun Chakraborty and actor Darshan Kumar in important roles.
‘The Bengal Files’ is written and directed by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, with Zee Studios presenting the project globally. The film has been jointly produced by Abhishek Agarwal, Pallavi Joshi, and Agnihotri under their banner, ‘I Am Buddha Productions’. Tej Narayan Agarwal has also joined as a presenter.
The film is set for a worldwide release on September 5, 2025.