As the Supreme Court refuses to hear the petition seeking a ban on Sudipto Sen’s The Kerala Story, here’s a look at the controversy surrounding the film.

Just two days before the Hindi film, The Kerala Story, hits the cinemas, hullaballoo around the Vipul Amrutlal Shah-backed film has reached the crescendo! On Tuesday, the Supreme Court refused to hear the plea seeking a ban on the film immediately. The Kerala Story, directed by Sudipto Sen, stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani in the lead roles. The film’s producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah is also the creative director of the film that’s centred around of a group of women from Kerala who are converted to Islam and join the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and land up in Afghanistan jail. Kashmir to Kerala Sudipto Sen is an independent director who has to his credit films Aasma (2018) and The Last Monk (2006). Hindi feature film Aasma, set in Kashmir, highlights a girl’s story under the shadow of terrorism. The Last Monk traces a young newly-married woman from Delhi in search of spirituality. This English film saw its premier at Cannes Film Festival. His documentary Kranti Darshi Guruji Ahead of Times won National Award 2020 for Best Music Direction for Bishakh Jyoti. Sen also directed another documentary In The Name Of Love (2022) that is based on love jihad. “A spine-chilling, never told before true story – revealing a dangerous conspiracy that has been hatched against India. The Kerala Story is a compilation of the true stories of three young girls. The truth Shall set us free. Thousands of innocent women have been systematically converted, radicalised and their lives destroyed. It’s their side of the story,” reads the film details on different social media handles. The film is being compared with The Kashmir Files, and labelled as a ‘propaganda’ film. Art has always been used for propaganda. If someone feels that what’s shown in this film is a lie, then they can make a stronger film on the issue. Art can only be countered by art. Rajeev Kumar, director Much of the ire is about the protagonist of the film identifying herself to be ‘one of the 32,000 girls who have been converted and buried in the deserts of Syria and Yemen’ in the teaser that dropped five months ago. The trailer was released on April 26 and it mentions thousands of girls who are victims. The cast and crew of the film have come out in support of the movie, backing the narrative that the movie is not made with the intention of religion versus religion, but rather humanity versus terrorism. “#TheKeralaStory isn’t about elections, agenda, religion vs religion.. it is about something much bigger. Life and Death! It is about terrorism vs humanity. Calling it propaganda is covering up the story of each girl whose life was destroyed,” tweeted actor Adah Sharma, who plays Shalini Unnikrishnan /Fatima Ba in the film. The film’s director Sudipto Sen has urged people to give the film a chance. “Dear my Kerala, you are highest in literacy. Education taught us tolerance. Pls watch#TheKeralaStory. Why the hurry to make opinion? Watch it - if you dislike, we’ll debate. We worked for seven years for this film in Kerala. We are part of you. We are Indian together...” he posted . The controversy took a political turn. Meanwhile, others have joined the fray. “It may be ‘your’ Kerala story. It is not ‘our’ Kerala story,” tweeted Shashi Tharoor, adding, “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.” Director of The Kashmir Files Vivek Agnihotri reverted, “@ShashiTharoor & Company. If you attack a film without seeing it, you are neither an honest & fair person nor a free speech & democratic person. #TheKeralaStory.”