Two movie hall owners Swarajya spoke to confirmed that they were asked by the state administration not to screen the film. “We were told that if we screen the film, we will be doing so at our own risk and that there are reports of protests being planned in front of theatres that screen the film. I was told the police would not be able to provide any protection from the protesters. I cancelled the screening and informed the booker on Thursday (26 April) since I do not want to take any risk and do not want any damage to my property. I also did not want to incur the displeasure of the state government,” said the owner of a movie hall in south Kolkata that has scheduled two shows of the movie. He did not want to be named for obvious reasons.

A report in Friday’s edition of the Times of India quoted Jagmohan Chaudhury, the booker for Indira Cinema (a prominent movie hall in south Kolkata’s Bhowanipore near Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence) as saying: “We belong to the business community. I don’t want to get into any controversy. I was asked to cancel the screening and will not screen the film.”

Danga, The Riot also stars renowned Bengali actor Supriya Devi, who died earlier this year, in the role of Mookerjee’s mother, Jogamaya Devi.

The film was awarded certification by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) after four cuts. Bhowmik said the CBFC ordered some lines – one of Muhammad Ali Jinnah speaking ill of Jawaharlal Nehru and another of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy – deleted. Earlier (in 2016), the regional CBFC in Kolkata said the movie was “extremely polarising” and feared that it might cause communal disharmony. The film also has a poem penned by current Bengal Governor Kesari Nath Tripathi.

Bhowmik says his film is a tribute to Mookerjee. “Many in Bengal are unaware of Mookerjee’s life and his works. Had he not intervened, there would have been no (West) Bengal today. He also saved thousands of Hindus from being butchered in the riots of August 1946 by forcing the British administration to act against the Muslim League rioters,” said the director.

This unofficial censorship and forced boycott of the film, allegedly by the Banerjee government, has not triggered even a ripple of protest from the so-called advocates of free speech. The film is, however, being released as scheduled in 26 theatres across Bihar and Jharkhand and 37 theatres in Assam.

Also Read:

How Syama Prasad Mookerjee Saved Bengali Hindus From Imminent Annihilation

A Date Bengal Should Not Have Forgotten