Amidst the continued controversy over the film The Kerala Story which raised the issue of love jihad, conversions and indoctrination, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who has been accused by his wife of sexual harassment, has said that if a movie is ‘hurting someone, then it is wrong, reported Times Now.
It is notable that the movie was banned by the West Bengal government, but the ban was stayed by the Supreme Court. But despite the Supreme Court order, cinemas in the state are not screening the movie, indicating an unofficial ban. Hall owners are saying that they have no free slot to show the movie, a surprising comment given that the movie is doing well everywhere else. There was a similar unofficial ban on it in Tamil Nadu, but the movie was released in the state later.
Reportedly, speaking to News18, the actor also said, “We don’t make films to hurt the audience or their sentiments,” Siddiqui said while speaking to News18.
The actor further stated that the films should foster social harmony and love among people adding that doing so is “our” responsibility to propagate the same. He also said that if a film has the power to break people and social harmony then that is extremely wrong. “Humein iss dunia ko jodna hai todna nahin (we have to unite this world not divide it),” Siddiqui reportedly asserted adding that nothing in the world deserves to be banned.
After media reports, the actor took to Twitter to refute claims of him supporting the ban on The Kerala Files.
Please stop spreading false news just to get some views and hits, it’s called cheap TRP – I never said and I would never want any film to be banned ever.
— Nawazuddin Siddiqui (@Nawazuddin_S) May 26, 2023
STOP BANNING FILMS.
STOP SPREADING FAKE NEWS !!!
However, it is pertinent to note that Nawazuddin Siddiqui did not particularly support The Kerala Files either. Recently, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap in a cryptic tweet also expressed his opinions on the film and the demand for its ban. “You agree with the film or not, be it propaganda, counter-propaganda, offensive or not, to ban it is just wrong,” he wrote, seemingly underlining his stance.
In an exclusive chat with News18, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui said, “I agree with him. But if a film or a novel is hurting someone, then that’s wrong. We don’t make films to hurt the audience or their sentiments,” he says without making any reference to The Kerala Story, much like his Gangs Of Wasseypur director.
Therefore, he did not support the ban according to the News18 report, but he also claimed that The Kerala Story was hurting the audience (Islamists mostly) and therefore, it was ‘not good’.
The Kerala Story recently crossed the Rs 200 crore mark and remains unstoppable. The whopping numbers raked in by the film demonstrate that the audience wants to watch the film and is supporting it.
He said that films should serve the purpose of uniting the world and dividing it. In the case of the film The Kerala Story, the film addresses the menace of love jihad, indoctrination, and subsequent deployment of the converted victims to ISIS—either to carry out terrorist activities or become ISIS brides. The film does not praise or vilify any religion or intend to hurt the sentiments of anyone rather presents a story inspired by true events. The Sudipto Sen directorial serves the purpose of spreading awareness among the people, especially Hindu girls against the Islamist terror conspiracies and the subsequent consequences.
Notably, The movie The Kerala Story written and directed by Sudipto Sen revolves around Shalini Unnikrishnan, played by Adah Sharma, an innocent Hindu woman from Kerala, who is brainwashed by her Muslim friend and gets converted to Islam and marries a Muslim man. The lead actress soon realizes that she has been trapped in a huge terrorist web after she is raped, separated from her only child, and then forced to serve as a sex slave.
Update: This story has been updated with recent information.
