The Kerala Story: SC to hear plea against ban in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, Bollywood speaks up against ban

Like The Kashmir Files, The Kerala Story has also sparked a political debate, with state governments influencing its commercial performance by taking decisive measures. And like The Kashmir Files, The Kerala Story also received an endorsement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Here are 10 points to get you up to speed about everything that has happened so far

1. 01

   False claims

   The Kerala Story has been accused by many, including Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, of peddling lies that can cause communal disharmony. The film's original claim that over 30,000 Kerala women had been radicalised by Islamic fundamentalists has no foundation in the truth. According to a US State Department report titled ‘Country Reports on Terrorism 2020: India’, “There were 66 known Indian-origin fighters affiliated with ISIS, as of November” (2020).

   Both director Sudipto Sen and producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah have said in interviews that figures don't matter, as the case remains just as grave even if considerably fewer women were actually radicalised.

2. 02

   Shashi Tharoor's pushback

   "Not our Kerala Story," Congress leader Shashi Tharoor had written in a tweet ahead of the film's theatrical release on May 5. The Congress had earlier urged the government to impose a ban on the film. After the claims were altered by the filmmakers, Tharoor had tweeted, "The plot thickens. The filmmakers have updated the movie’s description on YouTube and changed ‘32,000 women’ to ‘3 women’… I rest my case.”

   It may be *your* Kerala story. It is not *our* Kerala story. pic.twitter.com/Y9PTWrNZuL

   — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 30, 2023

    

3. 03

   PM Modi's statement

   At an election rally in Karnataka on the day of the film's release, PM Modi had said, "There is a lot of discussion about The Kerala Story, which discusses ploys to make the country hollow from within. They say The Kerala Story is based on terrorist plots in just one state. Such a beautiful state, where people are hardworking and talented, The Kerala Story exposes terror conspiracies (there).”

4. 04

   Ban in West Bengal

   West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered a ban on the film earlier this week, citing a threat to law and order in the state. Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur condemned the decision. “Mamata Banerjee has done injustice to the sisters and daughters of West Bengal by banning the film… Such thinking gives strength to those terrorists," he said.

   Director Sen said that Banerjee had made a decision to ban the film without having watched it. "It is a politically motivated and misguided decision. I request her to watch the film and decide if this film may pose any law and order issue,” he said, according to ANI.

   The Supreme Court Wednesday agreed to hear a plea by the makers of ‘The Kerala Story‘ against the ban imposed on the film by the West Bengal government and the decision of the Tamil Nadu multiplex association to withdraw it from its halls.

5. 05

   Tax-free in UP, MP

   BJP-led governments in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have declared the film tax-free. This is generally seen as a gesture of endorsement. “The Kerala Story will be made tax-free in Uttar Pradesh,” Yogi Adityanath wrote on Twitter. A day after the film's release, MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted, “The film The Kerala Story exposing the horrific truth of terrorism is being made tax free in Madhya Pradesh.”

   आतंकवाद की भयावह सच्चाई को उजागर करती फिल्म 'The Kerala Story' मध्यप्रदेश में टैक्स फ्री की जा रही है। pic.twitter.com/l5oizjqK7j

   — Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) May 6, 2023

    

6. 06

   Tamil Nadu multiplexes withdraws film

   The film was removed from a few multiplexes, on the grounds that it wasn't attracting enough people. “Due to the film’s (The Kerala Story) poor collection on the second day and to maintain law and order in the state, we stopped screening the film across Tamil Nadu from Sunday. We want to protect our theatres and we also have to think about the interest of the audience,” Sridhar, Joint Secretary, Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Association was quoted saying by news agency ANI.

7. 07

   Shabana Azmi, Anurag Kashyap champion free speech

   Perceived liberal members of the Hindi film fraternity have defended the filmmakers' right to free speech. Actor Shabana Azmi wrote in a tweet, "Those who speak of banning The Kerala Story are as wrong as those who wanted to ban Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha. Once a film has been passed by the Central Board of Film Certification nobody has the right to become an extra constitutional authority.” Director Anurag Kashyap quoted Voltaire in a recent tweet, and wrote, "You agree with the film or not, be it propaganda, counter propaganda, offensive or not, to ban it is just wrong. You want to fight propaganda. Then go in numbers and see the film that talks against misuse of social media and how inherent prejudice is weaponised to create hatred and unrest. It’s running in cinemas and is called Afwaah. Go make your voice stronger. Go make a point. That’s the right way to fight."

   You agree with the film or not, be it propaganda, counter propaganda, offensive or not, to ban it is just wrong. pic.twitter.com/DxNFJC1N4w

   — Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) May 9, 2023

    

   In peaceful protest against The Kerala Story's inflammatory tone, Oscar-winner Resul Pookutty encouraged people on Twitter to share stories of brotherhood and harmony in Kerala, using the hashtag, "My Kerala Story."

8. 08

   Bollywood right adds fuel

   The Kashmir Files actor Anupam Kher claimed that the same people who opposed his film are standing against The Kerala Story. He told ANI, “Again, I would say they are the same faces. I have not seen the film but I am happy that people are making films which are close to reality. And those who feel it is a propaganda are free to make movies dealing with the subject they find perfect. No one is stopping them.” Actor Kangana Ranaut falsely claimed that Shabana Azmi's comments about Laal Singh Chaddha were untrue.

9. 09

   Poor reviews

   Like The Kashmir Files, The Kerala Story has also received poor reviews from critics. It currently has only one positive review (out of four) on the aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. The Indian Express' Shubhra Gupta called it a "A poorly-made, poorly-acted rant."

10. 10

    Box office performance

    Despite this, or perhaps because of it, The Kerala Story is performing exceptionally well at the box office. The film opened to Rs 8 crore on Friday, and has since generated Rs 56 crore in India, easily outperforming several big-budget, star-driven vehicles that were released recently. On its fifth day of release, the film actually showed an improvement over day four numbers, signalling the audiences' fascination with the subject, and positive word of mouth.