Sudipto Sen’s directorial The Kerala Story, revolves around the story of ‘Hindu’ women who have claimed they were forcefully converted to Islam by extremist group ISIS. Its description claiming that 32,000 women were converted has stirred a row
Produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, The Kerala Story stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani and Siddhi Idnani, and is set to release on May 5. Though, the claims made in The Kerala Story's teaser have been refuted
A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court against The Kerala Story, seeking a stay on its release on grounds of "worst kind of hate speech" and "audio-visual propaganda". However the SC stated, "There are varieties of hate speeches. This film has got certification and has been cleared by the board." Notably, the Censor Board took more than a month to clear the movie, removed 10 scenes and gave it an A certificate
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the makers of the film, terming it as "propaganda" by "the Sangh Parivar". Congress leader Shashi Tharoor accused the film's makers of indulging in "gross exaggeration" and "distortion" of the state's reality. He also said that he will pay Rs 1 crore to anyone who could prove this allegation
Following Shashi Tharoor’s tweet claiming the description to be misleading, several internet users pointed out his older tweet seeking help for daughters of Kerala mothers who are “stuck in Afghanistan after having been taken by their misguided husbands”
Following the controversy, The Kerala Story’s description was altered. The film's teaser on YouTube which initially read as "heartbreaking and gut-wrenching stories of 32,000 females in Kerala..." was re-written as "true stories of three young girls from Kerala”
The Kerala Story’s YouTube trailer description now reads as, “A spine-chilling, never told before true story – revealing a dangerous conspiracy that has been hatched against India. The Kerala Story is a compilation of the true stories of three young girls from different parts of Kerala.”
Director of the film Sudipto Sen and producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah told PTI that 'The Kerala Story' is based on true events. "If we look at the issue, the number of 32,000 is what we have stated and we are staying by it,” said Shah
Screengrab from The Kerala Story's trailer
Tamil Nadu is on high alert ahead of the release of The Kerala Story on May 5. Intelligence agencies have issued an alert in Tamil Nadu, warning that the film's release could lead to widespread protests in the state, as per sources