Kerala government demands ban of the controversial film, ‘The Kerala Story’. Exhibitors argue it's a bad precedent

• Image Credit: Internet

• May 1, 2023 | Kabir Chakraborty

Kerala culture and young affairs minister Saji Cheriyan also posted on Facebook, saying, "Kerala is a state known for communal harmony." This film could be interpreted as the Sangh Parivar's attempt to dismantle the secular fabric of the state. This is a plot to split society and sow discord."

Digital Desk: The
Kerala Story has generated a lot of interest since it allegedly relates the
story of how thousands of young women were misled into joining the Islamic
State (IS) and travelling to places like Syria and Afghanistan. It focuses on
the unproven assertion that 32000 women from Kerala joined IS, despite the fact
that government records indicate no such data.

Kerala's
ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), opposition United Democratic Front (UDF),
and respective youth organizations have all spoken out against the film's
release in the state. The Kerala Congress has also spoken out against the film.

Exhibitors Say No
Censorship?

Members of the
Film Exhibitors United Organization of Kerala (FEUOK) have now declared that
banning The Kerala Story was pointless because the audience will see it anyhow
when it was released on OTT. Suresh Shenoy, a FEUOK office bearer who runs a
theatre complex in Kochi, reportedly told the media that banning a film was not
a good precedent. He went on to say that this constituted censorship.

color:black">Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated on April 30 on
Facebook that the film was created by the Sangh Parivar to disseminate
misinformation. "A glance at the trailer gives the impression that the
movie was purposefully produced with the goal of communal polarisation and
spreading hate propaganda against Kerala," the CM remarked. It is
duplicating the Sangh Parivar's rhetoric by designating Kerala, the home of
secularism, as the epicentre of religious extremism. Propaganda films and
othering of Muslims should be considered in the light of the Sangh Parivar's
varied endeavours to gain an advantage in Kerala electoral politics."

color:black">Some actors have also stated that the films should not be banned.

Kerala culture and young
affairs minister Saji Cheriyan also posted on Facebook, saying, "Kerala is
a state known for communal harmony." This film could be interpreted as the
Sangh Parivar's attempt to dismantle the secular fabric of the state. This is a
plot to split society and sow discord."

The Kerala Story is
written and directed by Sudipto Sen and will release in theatres on May 5. It
is written by Suryapal Singh, Sudipto Sen and Vipul Amrutlal Shah.