In a recent conversation, actress Pallavi Joshi recalled her experience while filming the sequences in the upcoming film, The Bengal Files.
Published: August 31, 2025 5:19 PM IST
In the realm of Indian cinema, certain films transcend mere storytelling, delving deep into the annals of history to shed light on events often overlooked. The upcoming film, The Bengal Files, aims to portray a pivotal yet harrowing chapter from the nation’s past, focusing on the communal riots that erupted in the heartland of West Bengal, Kolkata, in 1946. The production of this film demanded not only technical precision but also immense emotional resilience from its cast and crew, including Vivek Agnihotri’s wife Pallavi Joshi.
What did Pallavi Joshi say?
Actress and producer Pallavi Joshi, who plays a significant role in The Bengal Files, recently shared insights into the challenges faced during the filming of intense riot scenes. In a recent interview, Pallavi said, “Filming the riot scenes was a huge challenge. The team knew thousands had died during the real event, but portraying that visually on such a large scale was no easy task. While they used many dummy bodies, many actors and extras also had to lie down as corpses. Their skin was darkened, and buckets of fake blood were poured over them to make the scenes look realistic.”
Did Pallavi Joshi get affected?
She further said, “We are still technically doing everything right, but still, we kept thinking whether the wound looks real or not. We put in all our efforts to make it real. When you remember all those pictures/scenes, they disturb you, scare you, because you realize that whatever you have shot, all this has actually happened to people. The number of dead bodies we have shown, the same number of people who have actually died. So when you remember these things, they really affect you and you are unable to sleep at night.”
More about The Bengal Files
The Bengal Files, is slated for release on September 5, 2025. The film delves into the events of Direct Action Day, a significant yet often underrepresented episode in Indian history. The film features a stellar cast, including Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, and Simrat Kaur.
Story Highlights
- The Bengal Files depicts the tragic events of Direct Action Day (1946), focusing on the communal riots in Kolkata.\
- Pallavi Joshi, who plays a key role, shared how disturbing and emotionally heavy the riot scenes were to shoot.
- The production used a mix of dummy bodies and actors made up as corpses, with prosthetic wounds and fake blood to enhance realism.
- The intensity of the scenes deeply affected the actors, especially Pallavi, who admitted it impacted her sleep and mental peace.
The Bengal Files is more than just a film—it’s a cinematic effort to bring a lesser-known yet crucial part of India’s history to the forefront.
