Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s The Bengal Files, releasing on September 5th, has garnered modest advance bookings of Rs 4.81 lakh. The socio-political drama, starring Mithun Chakraborty and Anupam Kher, explores the Noakhali riots of 1946. It faces a box office clash with Tiger Shroff’s Baaghi 4, potentially appealing to a mature audience interested in historical narratives.
Filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s upcoming drama The Bengal Files is hardly drawing attention at the advance ticket window. Scheduled to release on 5th September, the film has started its journey with modest numbers. As per Sacnilk, the has clocked a gross of Rs 4.81 lakh from advance bookings, with 1,531 tickets sold across 390 shows till 11 AM.The Bengal Files belongs to the socio-political drama genre, a space Agnihotri has successfully carved out for himself. His previous directorials such as The Tashkent Files and The Kashmir Files had gone on to build extraordinary momentum through strong word of mouth. The latter, in fact, turned into one of the biggest blockbusters of 2022 despite facing limited initial expectations.One of the notable highlights in the advance booking data is the block seat value of Rs 15.05 lakh, a figure nearly four times higher than the actual confirmed bookings, thereby taking the overall advance booking of the film to Rs 19.89 lakh. The Bengal Files explores the Noakhali riots of 1946, a harrowing chapter in Indian history that unfolded just a year before Independence. Starring veteran actors Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, and others, the film is positioned as a hard-hitting socio-political narrative that sheds light on forgotten tragedies, much in line with Agnihotri’s filmmaking ethos. The film is set for a direct box office clash with Tiger Shroff’s action franchise installment Baaghi 4. The Baaghi series has a strong mass following, especially among younger audiences and in single-screen circuits. In contrast, The Bengal Files is expected to appeal to a more mature and urban audience base interested in politically charged, historically inspired storytelling. This counter-programming could work in Agnihotri’s favor, as it allows the film to tap into a niche yet loyal demographic even while sharing screens with a commercial actioner. Baaghi 4 also stars Sanjay Dutt, Sonam Bajwa and newcomer Harnaaz Sandhu.
