Congress leader calls for ban on ‘The Kerala Story’

Kerala Congress leader MM Hassan called for the film ‘The Kerala Story’ to be banned on Tuesday, claiming that it would cause communal divisions in society.

“The movie ‘The Kerala Story’ is produced as part of a Sangh Parivar propaganda. Its impression is to create communal divisions in society. This movie will destroy the secular image of Kerala in the world. So we call for a ban on ‘The Kerala Story’. The producer and the director are claiming that it is their creative freedom and justifying this. But it doesn’t mean that in that name they will spread lies and communalise society”, Hassan said. He further called upon the Kerala government to take the initiative and register case against the makers of the film.

“Kerala government should take the initiative and we demand that IPC 153 A be charged against the makers. And this should be banned with regard to spreading communal hatred,” Hassan added.

Hassan went on to say that another drama, ‘Kakkukali,’ is being played in several locations and should be banned because it allegedly hurts the feelings of the state’s Christian community.

In the midst of the ongoing controversy surrounding the film ‘The Kerala Story,’ Congress MP Shashi Tharoor stated that he is not calling for a ban on the film, but rather that it is a misrepresentation of the state’s reality. This follows his remark that the film is “your” Kerala story, but not “our” Kerala story.

“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 and clear that this is a misrepresentation of our reality,” Tharoor tweeted.

While Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated in a statement on Sunday that the film was made with the intention of causing communal polarisation and spreading hate propaganda against Kerala. The film’s trailer, ‘The Kerala Story,’ has sparked debate because the numbers are exaggerated.

The film, directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, is set to open in theatres on May 5, 2023. The lead actors in ‘The Kerala Story’ are Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani, and Sonia Balani.

The trailer for Sen’s film ‘The Kerala Story’ sparked outrage because it claimed that 32,000 girls from the state went missing and later joined the terrorist organisation ISIS.