Shillong, May 3: As the controversy on movie The Kerala Story rages on, intelligence agencies in Tamil Nadu have reportedly issued a warning that the movie’s release may trigger protests by some political parties as well as radical organizations across the state.
In the upcoming movie The Kerala Story, which will be released in theatres on May 5, thousands of young Hindu and Christian women are seen being brainwashed into joining the Islamic State (IS) and travelling to places like Syria and Afghanistan. Many incidents of this type have in reality been reported from the state.
The movie has caused a political uproar, with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan criticising the filmmakers for advancing the Sangh Parivar’s objective to portray Kerala as a hotbed of religious extremism and to foment hatred against the state.
Congress Member Parliament (MP) from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor had stated earlier that the movie presents the state in an inaccurate manner. Additionally, he accused the filmmakers of “gross exaggeration” and “distortion” of the truth about the state.
The BJP, on the other hand, has come out in favour of the film. The BJP state president K Surendran criticised the Kerala chief minister and the CPI (M) for their “selective freedom of expression approach” and referred to their stance as one of “double standards.”
The Kerala Story, starring Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani, and Sonia Balani, was directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah.
The Kerala Story’s trailer drew criticism for its assertion that 32,000 state-born girls vanished before joining the Islamic State.