The movie is scheduled to release on May 5 and portrays how a large number of young women were lured and indoctrinated into joining the Islamic State (IS) and eventually travelled to countries such as Syria and Afghanistan.
The release of 'The Kerala Story' has sparked a political controversy. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has accused the film's makers of promoting the agenda of the Sangh Parivar.
He criticized the film for painting Kerala as a hub of religious extremism and spreading hate propaganda against the state.
Congress MP from Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor has slammed the film, stating that it misrepresents the state.
He has also accused the filmmakers of exaggerating and distorting the reality of the state.
Meanwhile, the BJP has expressed support for the movie. BJP state president K Surendran dubbed the Kerala CM and ruling CPI(M)’s stand against the movie as “double standards” and slammed their "selective freedom of expression approach".
Let me stress, I am not calling for a ban on the film. Freedom of expression does not cease to be valuable just because it can be misused. But Keralites have every right to say loud & clear that this is a misrepresentation of our reality. https://t.co/sEIG91mjSP
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 1, 2023
The movie, "The Kerala Story", is directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah.
It stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani, and Sonia Balani in the main roles.
The trailer of the film received backlash due to its claim that 32,000 girls from Kerala had disappeared and joined the Islamic State.
The CPI(M) and Congress in Kerala have accused ‘The Kerala Story’ of falsely asserting that the women were radicalized and involved in terrorist activities across India and the world.
The film has been given an 'A' certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) after removing 10 scenes from the movie.