Following the release of its trailer, the forthcoming Bollywood film “The Kerala Story” has generated a lot of buzz on social media. The film apparently depicts the way hundreds of young women from Kerala fell victim to love jihad, entered the Islamic State (IS), and participated in terrorism-related operations, which sparked uproar.
The Central Board of Film Certification has offered an ‘A’ certificate to the film after 10 prescribed cuts and modifications.
The Kerala Story has gotten into some hot water for portraying the plot of the film as a true story, which appears to have struck a nerve. There have been reports that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) had recruited 32,000 Hindu women from Kerala and converted them to Islam.
Internet users have now turned to social media to criticise the creators and claim that the film promotes the Sangh Parivar agenda.
Politicians and citizens are protesting and calling on the Censor Board to prohibit the film from being screened in India. The film’s producers have come under fire from Kerala’s Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, who said that the film’s trailer incites hatred and divisiveness among different communities.
In contrast, the Kerala State Committee of the Muslim Youth League has offered a reward of Rs 1 crore to anyone who can provide proof that 32,000 Keralites migrated to Syria after converting to Islam.
Sudipto Sen is the director and Vipul Amrutlal Shah is the producer of “The Kerala Story.” Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, and Siddhi Idnani are among the film’s stars. The release date is set for May 5.
