The Kerala Story
The Kerala High Court denied the request to stop the release of “The Kerala Story” on Friday. Justices N Nagaresh and Mohammed Nias CP said that the secular society of Kerala will accept the movie for what it is. They also questioned how a fictional movie could create sectarianism and conflict in society, and asked for information on the movie’s trailer. The court did not find anything offensive in the teaser of the film and said that citizens have the right to believe in and promote their religion and deity according to the laws of the country.
The Kerala High Court was responding to petitions seeking the cancellation of the censor certificate of the movie “The Kerala Story.” The petitioners claimed that the movie would negatively influence innocent people and that there was no evidence of ‘Love Jihad’ in the state. However, the court rejected these claims, stating that many movies have referenced various communities in the past, and questioned why this movie was different. The court also asked how the film could promote sectarianism and conflict in society.
The Kerala High Court found nothing offensive in the trailer of “The Kerala Story,” and noted that the Central Board of Film Certification had approved the film for release. The producer of the movie, Vipul Amrutlal Shah, has agreed to remove the portion of the teaser claiming that more than 32,000 women from Kerala joined ISIS. The makers of the film withdrew the controversial figure and changed the trailer description on YouTube to refer to the story of three women from Kerala, likely due to the backlash.
“The Kerala Story” is a movie that centers on the supposed forced conversion of young women to Islam in Kerala, followed by their recruitment into the militant Islamist group ISIS. The film, which stars Adah Sharma, Siddhi Idnani, Sonia Balani, and Yogita Bihani, was released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam languages in theaters across India on May 5.
