Hindustan Times says performances save Vivek Agnihotri’s powerful film from drowning in excess. The review calls it brave and powerful, but also over indulgent and exhausting because of its length and treatment of history.

Koimoi calls The Bengal Files a scarring and searing narration of India’s past and present wounds, praising Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi and the performances, while noting the excessive runtime and unbridled gore.

BollywoodLife calls The Bengal Files bold, brutal and hard hitting, saying Pallavi Joshi, Mithun Chakraborty and Saswata Chatterjee lead a film designed to leave a lasting impact.

News18 review says the violence is so graphic it can make viewers nauseous, but Pallavi Joshi and Mithun Chakraborty stand out amid the chaos.

Times of India calls The Bengal Files a provocative portrait of Bengal’s turmoil and a tough watch, praising its performances and historical urgency while noting the film is heavy handed and relentlessly violent.

India TV News says The Bengal Files brings the tragic reality of Direct Action Day to light, praising its emotional force, background score and hard hitting subject.

India Today calls the film ruthless and hard hitting, saying it tackles Direct Action Day and the Noakhali riots from a politically charged perspective, but becomes stretched thin across its very long runtime.

Indian Express says The Bengal Files comes unstuck in its loose, confused and stretched-out execution, with over wrought performances and writing that often feels more inflammatory than probing.

NDTV says The Bengal Files is disturbingly graphic, gory and gruesome, but also overlong, screechy and lacking nuance in its treatment of a bloodied chapter of Indian history. The review says the subject needed more restrained filmmaking.