Banning The Controversial Film Kerala Story Is Not Practical: Saji Cherian, Minister Of Cultural Affairs

While the demand to ban the controversial film Kerala Story is gaining momentum, the state government has responded to the issue. According to the report by the Indian Express, the authorities said that there is not much room for the state government to get involved in this matter. States cannot obstruct a movie's showing when the Central Censor Board certifies it, said Saji Cherian, the minister of cultural affairs, in an interview given to the Indian Express.

"The film is produced with the aim of destroying the state's secular fabric. People should boycott it," Saji Cherian said, TNIE reported. "Echoing the demand to ban the film, CPM state secretary M V Govindan had said that a ban would not solve the issue. However, the government should consider the option of banning it. The film is being used by the RSS and BJP for their communal propaganda," he said, according to the report.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said in a press conference that the film 'Kerala Story' is intended to insult Kerala. It has been learned that the film is spreading the lie that 32,000 women from Kerala have joined ISIS. This film is part of the BJP-Sangh Parivar's attempt to spread unnecessary fear in Kerala, the land of religious harmony. Everyone should stand together against the malicious propaganda, said Chennithala.

Leader of Opposition V. D. Satheesan said that, the film 'The Kerala Story', which falsely claims that 32,000 women in Kerala converted and became members of the Islamic State, should not be screened.

This is not an issue of freedom of expression. It is part of an attempt to implement the Sangh Parivar agenda of creating sectarianism and division in society by casting doubt on minorities. He said that the trailer clarifies what the film is trying to say.

The Kerala Story is an upcoming Indian Hindi-language film directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah. The plot follows the story of a group of women from Kerala who are converted to Islam and enlist with the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The film has courted controversy for portraying itself as a real story and for making false claims that thousands of women from Kerala are being converted to Islam and recruited into ISIS. The film is expected to release on May 5th.