The Bengal Files box office collection day 6: Vivek Agnihotri’s new film earns Rs 10 cr, only a fraction of The Kashmir Files

In comparison, within the same period of its first six days, The Kashmir Files earned over Rs 79 crore. However, The Bengal Files has now earned around the same as what The Tashkent Files collected within its first three weeks. It’s also almost surpassed the lifetime earnings of Agnihotri’s last film, The Vaccine War (2023), which collected Rs 10.33 crore at the domestic box office.

Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court on Monday dismissed a petition filed by the grandson of Gopal Chandra Mukherjee, seeking a stay on the release of The Bengal Files, alleging that the protagonist was depicted in a poor light in the movie. In his plea, Santanu Mukherjee claimed that his grandfather, a freedom fighter who ran a goat meat shop in Bowbazar in the 1940s, was wrongly depicted in the film.

Producing a photograph, he alleged that the film insultingly refers to Gopal Chandra Mukherjee as “Patha” (a Bengali word for goat). He further argued that the movie falsely portrays his grandfather as being involved in the events of August 16, 1946, known as the ‘Great Calcutta Killings’. The film features Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, Saswata Chatterjee, Darshan Kumarr and Sourav Das in leading roles.

The petitioner’s lawyer submitted before the court that Santanu had filed an RTI application to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), questioning its role in assessing how his grandfather was portrayed in the film. He contended that despite the expiry of the mandated period, the requested information was not furnished.

Also Read — The Bengal Files movie review: Vivek Agnihotri’s film comes unstuck in its loose, confused stretched-out execution

The CBFC’s counsel said no appeal against the film’s release had been filed by the petitioner within the stipulated time after receiving no RTI response. They added that since the film was already being screened across the country, the petition had become infructuous. Hearing all sides, the HC observed that the petitioner ought to avail the remedy prescribed under the RTI Act and declined to entertain the writ petition.

The Bengal Files was released alongside Baaghi 4, which has made around Rs 40 crore at the box office so far, and The Conjuring: Last Rites, which has made nearly Rs 60 crore so far. On its seventh day of release, The Bengal Files will overtake Agnihotri’s The Vaccine War.