‘Targeting terrorists, not Muslims’: Filmmakers defend The Kerala Story amid row
Kerala ,May 1 : The Kerala Story, starring Adah Sharma, is at the centre of a storm after the trailer of the movie claimed that 32,000 girls from the state went missing and later joined the terrorist group, ISIS.
The movie, set to be released in cinemas on May 5, faced a lot of backlash from the Kerala government and the Congress, with leaders calling for a ban on screening of the film in the state.
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Amid the row, the director, producer and the actor have backed the movie, saying The Kerala Story targets terrorists, not Muslims and there is nothing against the state in the entire film.
In an exclusive interview with India Today, director Sudipto Sen said, “I made the movie after months of research. No producer wanted to back the movie. My perspective changed, I was deeply moved after speaking to the victims.”
Vipul Shah, the producer of the movie, said, “Nothing against the state of Kerala. Nothing deregotary said in the film. The film targets terrorists and not Muslims. Want Kerala CM to watch the movie.”
A day earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the movie takes up the Sangh Parivar propaganda of projecting the state as a centre of religious extremism by raising the issue of love jihad, a concept rejected by the courts, probe agencies and even the Union home ministry.
The movie, written and directed by Sudipto Sen, is portrayed as “unearthing” the events behind “approximately 32,000 women” allegedly going missing in the southern state. The film claims they converted, got radicalised and were deployed in terror missions in India and the world.
The director claimed that the film crew were attacked while shooting in Kannur, CM Vijayan’s home turf, and pointed out that Adah Sharma received a lot of threat messages for starring in the movie.
A couple of days ago, both the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala and the opposition Congress hit out at the upcoming movie, saying freedom of expression was not a licence to spew venom in society, and the film was an attempt to destroy the communal harmony of the state.
To this, Sen said, “I urge people to watch the film before drawing conclusions.”
-The India Today
