Image source: Hindustan Times
The Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a press conference conveyed her decision to ban the film ‘The Kerala Story’. While bashing the film as a propaganda of the BJP to defame the people of Kerala and terming the film as a ‘distorted story, Mamata Banarjee ordered the Chief secretary Harikrishna Dwivedi ban the film across all the cinema halls in every district in the state.
The move comes just after the Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex owners Association had decided to stop the screening of the film. Mamata Banerjee who regularly criticizes the BJP of curbing freedom of speech has said that the film Kashmir Files (which shown the genocide of Kashmiri Pundits in the 90s), was made to defame the Kashmiris, now the Kerala story is made to defame the people of Kerala and further she alleged that a film Bengal Files is being made to make a narrative and criticize the people of Bengal.
While saying that Bengal is a peace loving state and a state which runs on constitution, she ordered the ban citing a threat to law and order.
Reacting to the Ban on the film producer Vipul Shah had said that they will explore available legal avenues and act according to provision of law.
This order received serious criticism from many sections of society and especially the BJP. Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar via a tweet said that it was expected of the TMC to ban the film which exposes the true stories of how Hindu girls are trapped into Love Jihad and later sent to ISIS. Union minister Anurag Thakur, while criticizing the move said that Mamata Banerjee had done injustice to the sisters and daughters of West Bengal by banning the film.
The Kerala Story
Image source: IMDb
The Kerala Story, a film directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Shah is a story of ‘three’ girls in Kerala who were brainwashed and converted to Islam and were sent to ISIS camps in Afghanistan and Syria. The Adah Sharma starrer film attempts to expose the ‘love jihad’ trap which aims to convert helpless Hindu and Christian girls to Islam.
While the film is inspired by true events, as said by the makers, some elements of fiction are added to the film. Initially the film claimed that a total 32000 hindu girls were converted and sent to ISIS, later the number was reduced to three in the official teaser of the film.
The film has received a backlash from certain sections of society for defaming the Muslim community and showing them in bad light. Many petitions were filed before the Supreme Court and the Kerala High Court to ban, stay or edit the film but the Apex court and the Kerala High Court refused.
Several BJP ruled state governments have made the movie tax free. MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan via a video said that the film makes people aware of Love Jihad. It is to be noted that the MP already has a law to stop illegal and forceful conversions. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath via a tweet said that the UP government had decided to make the movie tax free.
