The much-awaited trailer of Sudipto Sen’s film ‘The Kerala Story’ got released on 26th April 2023. Vipul Amrutlal Shah is the film’s producer and creative director, starring Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, and Siddhi Idnani in the lead roles. The film is based on the true stories of Hindu and Christian girls in Kerala who were first trapped into love jihad by Islamists in Kerala and later sent to Iraq and Syria to become ISIS terrorists. The film will be released on 5th May 2023 in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam language.
‘The Kerala Story’ is dramatic representation of the heartbreaking and gut-wrenching stories of 32000 women from Kerala who were radicalized to join the ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) terrorist ranks. It is notable that many of these women from Kerala joining ISIS were converted to Islam from Hinduism and Christianity with the motive of sending them to the terrorist organization ISIS.
The trailer opens with a picturesque terrain of Kerala and establishes Shalini Unnikrishnan – the lead character played by Adah Sharma. The trailer subsequently details Shalini’s Hindu family through visuals before revealing that officers interrogated her because she worked as an ISIS. Shalini tells the officers, “Rather than knowing when I joined ISIS, it’s more important to know why and how I joined ISIS, Sir.”
And then the trailer shows how innocent Hindu girls are systematically trapped into love jihad and converted to Islam. The film depicts how the toolkit of systematically trapping and converting non-Muslim girls includes insulting Hindu and Christian deities, glorifying burkha and hijab as the shield saving a woman’s dignity, imposing a notion on their minds that no one except Allah can be worshipped, impregnating non-Muslim girls so that they marry the planted Muslim lover to avoid facing the social stigma. The role of Muslim clerics in radicalisation is also clearly highlighted in it.
As shown in the trailer of this film, the girls converted through this modus operandi are then trafficked to ISIS-hit middle eastern countries under the pretext of getting jobs or by directly brainwashing them for jihad. The converted girls from Kerala were used by terrorists for various terror activities and also as sex slaves. ‘The Kerala Story’ presents these heinous acts as Shalini Unnikrishnan unfolds her story in front of the investigating officers.
‘The Kerala Story’ narrates the pain of 32000 such converted Muslim women from Kerala who were sent to ISIS as terrorists only to get buried in the deserts of Yemen and Syria. A dreaded game of converting a normal girl to an ISIS terrorist is being played in Kerala for the last few years. Increasing radicalization in the southern state because of the activities of Islamist organizations like the Popular Front of India and its other allied outfits is responsible for this trafficking of girls to the gulf.
Makers of the film promise authentic and unbiased portrayal
At the time of the announcement of the film in March 2022, Vipul Shah had said, “In this movie, you will be confronted with a human tragedy that will leave you reeling. During the first meeting with Sudipto (writer-director), I burst into tears as he described it to me and shared his extensive research that spanned three to four years. I decided to produce this film on the same day that occurred. We want to create a film that is very realistic, impartial, and accurate to the events depicted.”
The trailer for ‘The Kerala Story’ which promises to be a very authentic, unbiased, and truthful tale of events that shocked Kerala, is both matter-of-fact and powerful in its stance. While most people would avoid the topic, producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah was adamant to present this gruesome story on the big screen, supported by 4 years of exhaustive study. Director Sudipto Sen visited the region, including some Arab nations, talked with residents and the relatives of the victims, and was astounded by what he saw.
‘The Kerala Story’ is facing opposition right from the teaser release
It is notable that Congress demanded a ban on this movie in November 2022 when its teaser was released. Congress leader and leader of the opposition in Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan said the film spreads misinformation and should be banned. He said, “I have seen that teaser. It’s a clear case of misinformation. There is nothing like that happening in Kerala. This is to tarnish the image of Kerala in front of other states. This is spreading hatred, so it should be banned. In normal scenarios, we are against banning films, but these types of misinformation will lead to communal issues.”
Tamil Nadu-based journalist Aravindakshan BR also requested the Central Board of Film Certification to place a ban on the film unless director Sudipto Sen and producer Vipul Amrutal Shah submit documents confirming the veracity of the information presented in the teaser.
The hate for ‘The Kerala Story’ continues
Even before the trailer launch, Aravindakshan posted a thread of tweets to reiterate his demand to ban the film. He wrote, “Is there a conspiracy to create communal riots in South India through the movie The Kerala Story? For all those who care about the country and social harmony, it is very important to oppose the movie The Kerala Story. It is also everyone’s duty to prevent the release of the film which is coming to the screens with misinformation to sow religious hatred among the people.”
The Kerala Story திரைப்படத்தின் மூலம் தென்னிந்தியாவில் மதக்கலவரத்தை ஏற்படுத்த சதித்திட்டமா ?@sunshinepicture தயாரிப்பில் இயக்குநர் @sudiptoSENtlm இயக்கத்தில் வெளியாகவுள்ள
— Aravindakshan B R (@RealAravind36) April 25, 2023
The Kerala Story திரைப்படத்தின் டீசர் காட்சி 03-11-22 ம் தேதி வெளியிடப்பட்டது
1https://t.co/tGpoy33Gqk
Hours before the release of the trailer, the hate towards this film showing uncomfortable facts was visible on social media. Islamoapologists called it a plan of riots. Quoting journalist Aravindakshan’s tweet, one Habi Bullah wrote, “The next slander of the rioting kabodhis…”
கலவர கபோதிகளின் அடுத்த அவதூறு… https://t.co/jyPHMkXgxE
— Habi Bullah (@habibul82978525) April 26, 2023
K Mohammad Ali posted, “Everyone read throughout & share… This is the BJP’s next riot plan…”
அனைவரும் முழுவதும் படிக்கவும் & பகிரவும்…
— KMALI @ K.MOHAMED ALI (@twit2kmali) April 25, 2023
இது பாஜகவின் அடுத்த கலவர திட்டம்… https://t.co/43soSYb1sd
Kerala has been the target of Islamists since 2009
According to a recent investigation, approximately 32,000 females from the Hindu and Christian faiths in Kerala and Mangalore have converted to Islam since 2009. The majority of these girls eventually wind up in Syria, Afghanistan, and other regions with a high concentration of ISIS and Haqqani influence. The movie will reveal the truth about this conspiracy and the suffering of these ladies.
Though the conversions started in 2009, ISIS involvement in Kerala was initially traced in 2013. As early as 2014, ISIS established roots in Kerala, with modules encouraging religious conversions and aiming to attract professionals to join its troops in Afghanistan and Syria. Plenty of Kerala men and women are said to have joined the ISKP (Islamic State of Khorasan Province) in recent years. The United Nations warned in its 2020 terrorism report that there are a substantial number of ISIS terrorists in the Indian state of Kerala.
Furthermore, a National Investigation Agency’s charge sheet filed in July 2020 in connection with the murder of Special Sub Inspector Wilson revealed a strong association between ISIS terrorists active and growing in the state. The NIA is currently investigating cases related to IS operating recruitment centres in Kerala. Several non-Muslim women have also been radicalized and converted in the last few years and have been sent to Afghanistan and Syria to fight for the Islamic State.
Converting and radicalizing women in Kerala
When Mini Vijayan, a military official, alleged that her daughter Aparna had been forcibly converted to Islam, the issue of Kerala women being converted and recruited by ISIS received additional widespread attention in 2016. Aparna was linked to Sathyasarani, also known as the Malappuram-based Markazul Hidaya Educational and Charitable Trust. She arrived at the courthouse with a woman named Sumayya. Aparna informed the authorities that she had converted to Islam and did not want to rejoin her mother. When Aparna disappeared from her Kochi dormitory as a B. Tech. student, she married Aashiq, an auto driver from Malappuram.
The Malappuram connection
These ladies were all discovered to be associated with the Markazul Hidaya or the Sathyasarani Trust in Malappuram. Hadiya’s conversion and marriage to Shafeen Jahan were not unrelated events, according to the NIA, that testified in court, but rather the result of a planned operation by Sathyasarani and PFI. According to a sting operation against Sathyasarani and PFI, the founding member of PFI acknowledged on video that their ultimate objective is to turn India into an Islamic state. Additionally, it was announced that the NIA had received the investigative report.
The Sathyasarani Trust in Malappuram, also known as the Markazul Hidaya, a PFI-run organization, appears to be the unifying theme connecting these conversions and “education.” Individuals associated with this center included Aparna, Hadiya (Akhila), and the ladies who traveled to join ISIS. The records of 70 Hindu and Christian girls’ conversions were found during an investigation by law enforcement officials. The girls were there, according to the trust, to study religion.
This is just a tip of an iceberg
Sathyasarani is only one of several institutions. Its supporters continue to reject any affiliations with extreme organizations or terrorist organizations. In Kerala, several of these facilities are in operation. Zakir Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation is the primary source of literature used by 95% of these brainwashing centres. Numerous converted females have also mentioned how enthralled they were by Naik’s talks. 5,975 persons in the state reportedly converted to Islam between 2011 and 2015, according to government statistics. 1,410 people converted alone in 2015. Women under 35 make up a staggering 76 per cent of the new converts.
What is the key legal hurdle?
This is remarkably similar to incidents of forced conversion in Sindh, Pakistan. The only difference is that because of India’s strict laws against child marriage, the victims are now adults. As a result, the cases simply get dropped or stagnated because the girl and her Muslim husband are safeguarded by the law for acting of their own free will, this introduces more issues for the family members and police. The family and authorities are unable to prove pressure or indoctrination without the girl’s clear confession.
Conclusion of The Kerala Story
Radical Islam has deeply rooted itself in Kerala. The sheer volume of radicalization, conversion, and recruiting centres operating is still far from grabbing the attention of the national media or directing it toward the issue. However, it is undeniably a matter of grave concern. In the post-ISIS world, using women as tools and weapons—whether through sex slavery or recruitment for terrorism—is no longer a secret. The governments, both state and union, must take it seriously and devise effective solutions to combat the problem. Now that the film ‘The Kerala Story’ is about to release soon, there is hope that this serious issue will come to the centre of the popular discourse.
