'Emotionally Challenging And Daunting': Pallavi Joshi Breaks Down The Bengal Files Experience | Exclusive

With The Bengal Files now streaming on Zee5, the conversation around its historical themes has intensified — and at the centre of it stands National Award-winning actor and producer Pallavi Joshi, whose

performance has once again become a talking point. In an exclusive conversation with News18 Showsha, Pallavi opened up about the emotional challenges of the role and why she feels deeply responsible for bringing forgotten chapters of Indian history to audiences.

“The Whole Experience Was Emotionally Daunting”

When asked whether the role challenged her in new ways despite her decades-long career, Pallavi said the difficulty lay not in a single scene, but in sustaining the emotional weight of the entire narrative.

“I don’t think there was any one particular scene which was very challenging. The whole character in itself was, I think, very emotionally challenging and very draining because the emotions had to be carried throughout. I couldn’t even drop the ball even once.”

She described the filming experience as immersive and psychologically demanding, requiring her to stay emotionally alert from start to finish. Every expression, every shift in tone, every moment on screen had to match the gravity of the story being told.

“Cinema Must Awaken People”

For Pallavi, The Bengal Files isn’t merely a film — it is a responsibility. Speaking about why she gravitates toward narratives rooted in history, she emphasised the role of cinema as a medium of discovery.

“As actors and more importantly as a filmmaker, we need to explore new subjects. We need to show people what they haven’t seen before. That’s the whole purpose of cinema — to awaken people, to open their eyes and minds to things they haven’t known or experienced.”

She added that the team felt compelled to revisit a part of history that remains absent from textbooks and public memory, “People have been considerably taken aback with the amount of research we’ve done and the truths that have come out — truths nobody wrote about or taught us. I’ve given myself a pat on my back, saying a job well done, Pallavi. You were able to uncover a few pages and give people something they didn’t know before.”

“I Feel I Have Fulfilled My Responsibility”

For Joshi, who has always gravitated towards socially and politically relevant cinema, The Bengal Files is another extension of her commitment to telling stories that matter, “As a filmmaker and as an actor, I feel I have completed my responsibility.”

The Bengal Files: Background and OTT Release

Directed by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, The Bengal Files is the third instalment in Agnihotri’s “Files” cinematic universe after The Tashkent Files and the widely discussed The Kashmir Files. The new film explores a chilling yet largely unacknowledged chapter in India’s past: the political violence, ideological conflicts, and human tragedies that shaped modern-day Bengal.

Upon its theatrical release, the film sparked debate for its unflinching portrayal of historical events and its attempt to bring long-suppressed narratives to the forefront. Now, following sustained public interest, The Bengal Files has made its way to OTT, reaching a wider national and global audience engaging with its difficult truths for the first time.

With its digital premiere, viewers across India have been revisiting pivotal discussions around identity, memory, and political history — discussions that form the backbone of the film.

It is within this emotionally charged canvas that Pallavi Joshi delivers one of her most intense performances to date.