The Kerala Story: As 'Political Row' Heats Up Over Film, the Controversy Explained

Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday lashed out at the opposition parties and said those who are opposing “The Kerala Story” film are supporters of the proscribed PFI and terror outfit ISIS.

Addressing a function in Gurugram, Thakur said that those who are opposing the film are supporting the agenda of terror group PFI as well the ISIS.

The senior BJP leader said that “The Kerala Story” exposed the conspiracy wherein Hindu and Christian girls were forced into terrorism.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also mentioned the movie in his recent speech in Karnataka and said, ‘The Kerala story’ is trying to expose the consequences of terrorism in a society, especially in a state like Kerala which is a beautiful land of hardworking, talented and intellectual people.” Madhya Pradesh has announced that the film will be tax free in the state, while Uttar Pradesh minister Brajesh Pathak has said it will not oppose any proposal to grant similar status in the state.

Multiplexes across Tamil Nadu have cancelled screenings of the controversial film from Sunday, citing law and order issues and poor public response.

Let’s understand what the controversy behind the film is:

What is Kerala Story Based On?

‘The Kerala Story,’ directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, and Siddhi Idnani. The movie is about forced religious conversion and alleges that about 32,000 women in Kerala were converted to Islam and many were sent to ISIS-ruled Syria at the pinnacle of the terror group’s dominance. Following the release of the film’s trailer, a petition to the Supreme Court was filed seeking a stay of execution on the basis of “worst kind of hate speech” and “audio-visual propaganda.”

The Supreme Court denied the plea on Tuesday, adding, “There are varieties of hate speeches. This film has got certification and has been cleared by the board.” Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan blasted the film’s producers, calling it “propaganda” by “the Sangh parivar.”

Following backlash, the promo for the film on YouTube was changed from “heartbreaking and gut-wrenching stories of 32,000 females in Kerala…” to “true stories of three young girls from Kerala.”

Why are Some Parties Criticising the Film?

Shashi Tharoor, Congress politician, criticised the film’s creators of “gross exaggeration” and “distortion” of the state’s realities.

Political parties in Kerala, including the ruling CPI(M) and the Congress, are opposed to the “false claim” promoted by the film. They want The Kerala Story to be banned because they believe it is hate propaganda aimed at Muslims and defaming the state.

However, the filmmakers have been outspoken in their support for the film. In an exclusive interview, actor Adah Sharma, director Sudipto Sen, and producer Vipul Shah all agreed that the film “targets terrorists rather than the entire Muslim community,” as per a report by India Today.

There is also controversy over the figures projected in the film, as well as the story of one of the protagonists, Fathima Ba, whose story, opponents say is not complete and is based off snippets.

Vipul Shah had told India Today in an interview, “we don’t want to get into the debate on the numbers, we want to talk about the issue. We want to bring notice to the human tragedy happening in Kerala and in India.”

What Do Proponents of the Film Say?

The BJP has come out in support of the film, claiming that IS recruitment from the southern state cannot be disputed.

“IS has a significant presence in Kerala. You cannot deny IS recruitment from the state,” Kerala BJP head K Surendran said, adding that if the figures given in the video were the sticking point, that could be resolved.

“Films are not always completely based on facts. Treat the movie as one. Watch it first. Why the urgency to stop its screening? Why be scared of it? Why so much agitation? Those who do not want to see it, need not,” Surendran said.

The film was even invoked in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech. Campaigning in Karnataka’s Bellary, Modi had said, “The movie ‘The Kerala story’ is trying to expose the consequences of terrorism in a society, especially in a state like Kerala which is beautiful land of hardworking, talented and intellectual people. The Congress party is now trying to ban the film and support the terror elements. It only knows to ban things and completely ignore development. The party even has a problem with me chanting ‘Jai Bajarang Bali’.”

PTI contributed to this report

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