00:00There were thousands, thousands, thousands of people who didn't know about it.
00:06So what is it that some people are upset and upset about it?
00:12What is the controversy around the Bengal Files?
00:15Why is a movie set in 1946 making headlines today?
00:19The answer lies in one of the most violent episodes before partition, the Great Calcutta Killings of 1946.
00:26And at the centre of the current debate is a man named Gopal Mukherjee, or as many back in Bengal call him, Gopal Pathan.
00:33Let's break this down, but first, why Kolkata?
00:37Because in 1946, Bengal was a flashpoint.
00:39The British had announced they were leaving India, but the question was, united India or a partitioned India?
00:45The Muslim League wanted Pakistan and Bengal's Muslim League government, led by Hussain Shaheed Swarawaradi, backed that demand.
00:52So when talks failed, Jinnah called for Direct Action Day, a show of strength to prove Muslims wanted Pakistan.
00:58And Kolkata, then India's biggest city after Bombay, became the stage for that showdown.
01:03On August 16th, 1946, the League declared a strike.
01:07Rioting started after a massive rally at the Maidan.
01:10Violence spread as shops were looted, homes burned, people dragged out and killed.
01:15For three days, Kolkata was a battlefield.
01:18More than 5,000 people were dead, and tens of thousands were injured.
01:22The riots weren't one-sided.
01:24It began with attacks on Hindu areas, but soon, retaliation followed.
01:28And this is where Gopal Mukherjee enters our story.
01:31Now, Gopal was not a politician.
01:33He was a local strongman from North Kolkata.
01:36People called him Pathha, which means goat in Bengali.
01:39For years, the story went that the name came from his meat business.
01:42But here's the twist.
01:44His grandson says that's not true.
01:46He insists Gopal was not a butcher, but a wrestler.
01:49So in 1946, when the police were helpless and the British army absolutely silent,
01:53Gopal decided to take matters into his own hands.
01:56He gathered his men and armed them with whatever they could find.
01:59Swords, country-made guns, even bamboo sticks.
02:02And then they struck back.
02:04The violence spiralled.
02:06Retaliation met retaliation.
02:08By the time British troops finally restored order, the city had changed forever.
02:12And now, the film, The Bengal Files.
02:15It brings Gopal Pathha back into the spotlight, portraying him as the man who stepped up when
02:20Kios gripped the city.
02:21The real story of 1946 is layered, filled with politics, fear and choices made the heat of violence.
02:28So as this film makes headlines, it's worth asking, what does it show and what does it leave out?
02:34I'm Manish Adhikari.
02:35Thank you for watching The Culture Project on more.
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