The Kerala Story: Decoding the brouhaha around Vipul Shah and Adah Sharma's film

Ever since the film has been announced, The Kerala Story to be precise, it has been mired in multiple controversies. Here’s decoding the brouhaha around Vipul Shah and Adah Sharma’s film.

The controversy and a demand on its ban

The Film The Kerala Story is a Hindi Film about a group of women from Kerela who join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The film is a work of fiction inspired with true facts.

Several petitions were filed seeking restraining reliefs against the release and exploitation of the film. These petitions have been filed in pursuance of a teaser of the film which was released in November, 2022 depicting that innocent girls were lured and converted to Islam over a period of time. The petitioners alleged that the film which claims to be based on true facts is false and misleading and is likely to hurt religious sentiments and spread hatred between communities in India. Several petitioners also equated the film to hate speech.

Several petitions were first filed in Supreme Court under Article 32 of the Constitution of India. However, the Hon’ble Supreme Court held that it was open for the petitioners to move the appropriate High Court having jurisdiction.

The next step

The petitioners therefore knocked the doors of Kerela High Court and Chennai High Court. Mr. Ameet Naik, Managing Partner of Naik, Naik and Company represented the producers of the film Vipul Shah and Sunshine Pictures Pvt. Ltd. and opposed the grant of any reliefs against the release and exploitation of the film. Mr. Naik pointed out that the film carries a disclaimer that it is a work of fiction and does not claim historical and factual accuracy. He also pointed out that CBFC, which is a statutory body competent to certify films has found the film to be in conformity with the Guidelines and fit for public exhibition.

The release

Both the courts had, after detailed hearing in the petitions, refused to grant any reliefs against the film makers and the film. The Division Bench of Kerela High Court, after watching the teaser and trailer of the film observed that there is no allegation against Islam and there is nothing offensive to any particular community as a whole. The court also noted that the film carries appropriate disclaimer and is certified by CBFC to be fit for public exhibition. The courts had therefore refused to grant any stay on the release and exhibition of the film.

After the three days long drama, the film had been released worldwide on May 5.

The tax-free status

The Uttar Pradesh government will make “The Kerala Story” tax-free in the state, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Tuesday. The announcement comes days after the Madhya Pradesh government said it will give tax-free status to the film in the state.

“‘The Kerala Story’ to be made tax free in Uttar Pradesh,” Adityanath said from his official Twitter handle. According to Director Information Shishir, the UP chief minister will attend a special screening of the film in Lucknow on Friday.

“‘The Kerala Story’ will be made tax free in UP. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will watch the special screening of the movie with his cabinet on May 12 in Lucknow,” he said. Directed by Sudipto Sen, “The Kerala Story” depicts how women from Kerala were forced to convert to Islam and recruited by the terror group Islamic State (IS). The film, which was released on May 5, has kicked up a political storm.

PM Narendra Modi mentions The Kerala Story

On the day of the film’s release, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had credited the movie for bringing out terror conspiracies and used it to attack the Congress during an election rally in poll-bound Karnataka. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday ordered an immediate ban on the screening of the controversial film “The Kerala Story” in the state to avoid any incident of hatred and violence. Multiplexes across Tamil Nadu cancelled screenings of the controversial film from Sunday, citing law and order issues and poor public response. On Sunday during an election rally, Deputy Chief Minister of UP Brajesh Pathak said if there is a proposal, the state government would make “The Kerala Story” tax-free.

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