The Kerala Story: Filmmaker Sudipto Sen has reacted to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s decision to impose a ban on his film in the state. CM Mamata Banerjee ordered an immediate ban on the screening of the controversial movie to avoid 'any incident of hatred and violence'. Adding, the film that is about the radicalisation of women from Kerala by ISIS, poses a threat to communal peace in the state. In response, director Sen urged Mamta Banerjee to 'watch the film first.'
Sudipto Sen told ANI, "For 4 days, the film was running successfully in Bengal. No law and order situation arose. Suddenly Mamata Banerjee realised that there might be a law and order problem... I requested her (Mamata Banerjee) to watch the film once, you will be proud of it."
The Kerala Story, which depicts the plight of a group of women in Kerala who are forced to convert and join ISIS, has kicked up a political storm. Many states including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Assam have declared the film tax-free. Talking about the same, the director added, "It is the decision of the government, if they feel that this film is important, then they would make it tax-free. Reducing ticket prices will enable more people to watch the film.
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The film has received immense support from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoking it during his poll rally in Karnataka. "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", PM Modi said.
About The Kerala Story
In ‘The Kerala Story’, actress Adah Sharma plays the role of Fathima Ba, a Hindu Malayali nurse, who is among the 32,000 women who went missing from Kerala and were then recruited to the ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) after being forced to convert to Islam. Also, the film highlights 'Love Jihad' propaganda, where Muslim men manipulate Hindu girls to convert to Islam and abandon their families. ALSO READ: Adah Sharma's 'The Kerala Story' crew member receives threat, Mumbai Police provides security
Soon after the trailer of the film was released, a petition was filed against it on grounds of 'worst kind of hate speech' and 'audio-visual propaganda'. Many political leaders slammed the film and claimed that the makers are making false claims that it is a real story and that the number '32000 women' is fake.
