Controversial film The Kerala Story is all set for release in theatres. The drama, which recounts the tale of three women, who find themselves trapped in a net laid by ISIS and are forcibly converted to Islam. The film has faced protests, criticism, and even legal cases with many saying that it is misrepresenting and exaggerating the issue of legal conversion.
In a recent interview, the film’s producer Vipul Shah defended The Kerala Story and reacted to people calling for a ban on the film. The filmmaker, who is also attached to the film, as a creative director, said that they have done ‘no wrong’ and hence, have nothing to fear.
Talking with News18 about the calls for ban, Shah said, “I believe in the law. The censor board has cleared the film. They heavily scrutinised the film for almost one-and-a-half months before giving us the certificate. We’re glad that we went through this scrutiny. We know that every evidence and document we provided to the final authority of film certification have been approved. It shows that they have accepted our truth. After this, if some groups has complaints and want to create some kind of trouble, I think it is best left to the courts or any legal authority to decide. I don’t get bothered by these things. I believe we’ve done everything right according to the law. So, we’ve nothing to worry about.”
When aske about why the film’s release has become so political, the filmmaker added, “Every political party has their own ideology. And when they find some issue which is either against or in sync with their ideology, they tend to connect with it. So, if any political party is opposing the film, then I’m sure the film is opposing the ideology of the party itself and that’s the reason why they feel this film shouldn’t be publicised or seen by people.”
The Kerala Story, which claims to be based on true incidents, tells the story of Indian women being forced to convert to Islam by ISIS. The controversy lies in the film’s claim that 32,000 Indian women have been converted by the terror group in the last few years. Many have called out this figure, saying there is no evidential basis for it.
The Kerala Story stars Adah Sharma, alongside Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani, Pranay Pachuri and Chandra Shekhar Dutta. Produced Vipul Amrutlal Shah, and directed by Sudipto Sen, the film is all set to hit the theatres on the May 5.
