Yogi Adityanath-led government on Tuesday decided to declare ‘The Kerala Story’ tax-free in the state. Uttar Pradesh chief minister could watch the film along with his cabinet colleagues at a special screening to be organised at Lok Bhawan, the chief minister's secretariat said.
Meanwhile, UP Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak has welcomed Yogi's decision saying, "Making 'The Kerala Story' tax-free is a very good decision. I want the people of Uttar Pradesh to watch this film and understand how our sisters have suffered. We will also go and watch the film. The people in West Benegal will not accept the ban on this film."
Tax free in MP
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that 'The Kerala Story' moviea has been made tax-free in the state. He further said that 'The Kerala Story' "exposes the conspiracy of love Jihad, religious conversion and terrorism."
The Kerala Story was released on the screens worldwide on May 5. The first Monday is crucial for every theatrical release and Adah Sharma's film too has faced the same as it registered a drop. On Day 4, the film managed to earn Rs 10.50 crore. The film had an overall 27.57 per cent Hindi Occupancy on Monday, May 08, 2023. While it is expected to slow down over the week, the film should be able to cross the Rs 50 crore mark in the coming few days nonetheless.
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.
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.
The movie, directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, will open in theaters on May 5.
Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani, and Sonia Balani play the lead roles in the movie.
The trailer of Sen's film 'The Kerala Story' experienced harsh criticism as it guaranteed that 32,000 young ladies from the state disappeared and later joined the psychological oppressor bunch, ISIS.
Assam CM to watch 'The Kerala Story' with cabinet colleagues
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma declared that he, alongside his cabinet colleagues and relatives, will watch 'The Kerala Story', adding that he was not promoting the controversial movie.
His announcement came after Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, called for the movie to be banned due to protests and criticism.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, Sarma said: "We will all go watch it on May 11. I am not going to promote the movie. I will just watch it."
The contentious film was shown at a special screening on Sunday at Bengaluru's Garuda Mall, where BJP national president J.P. Nadda was present.
Nadda said, after watching the movie, "This movie shows a new kind of poisonous terrorism that is without weapons. No state or religion is particularly associated with this type of terrorism."
Also Read | "New type of terrorism which is without ammunition...": BJP president JP Nadda on 'The Kerala Story'
Also Read | The Kerala Story Box Office Collection Day 3: Adah Sharma's film is UNSTOPPABLE
