Actor Saswata Chatterjee, who plays the antagonist in Vivek Agnihotri’s upcoming film The Bengal Files, recently sparked a debate after claiming that he was not informed about the film’s title change and was only briefed about his character rather than the full story. While Saswata clarified that the villainous role excited him enough to say yes, his remarks raised questions about how much the cast knew about the controversial project.
Now, director Vivek Agnihotri has responded. In a conversation on The Right Angle with Sonal Kalra, Vivek dismissed the idea that Saswata was unaware of the film’s plot, calling it a misconception. “Aisa bilkul bhi nahi hai, yeh galatfehmi hai logo ko. The local media is twisting all this news. It is impossible in my films for any actor to not know the script. We do detailed table reads with everyone, even for a one-line role,” Vivek said.
Praising Saswata’s craft, the filmmaker added, “He’s one of the greatest actors, and in this film, his role as the villain is so powerful that I believe he’ll win a National Award for it. I respect him a lot.”
Vivek also hinted at the social pressures faced by Bengali actors working in his film. “Many Bengali artists have told me there’s a lot of pressure not to openly support The Bengal Files. They have to adopt certain strategies to continue living and working in Kolkata. I understand that. Saswata too is in a difficult position, but he has no issues with the film or his role.”
The Bengal Files, releasing on September 5, is the third and final chapter in Agnihotri’s ‘Files Trilogy’ after The Tashkent Files (2019) and The Kashmir Files (2022). The film features Saswata Chatterjee in a prominent antagonist role and is expected to spark intense discussions like its predecessors.