‘The Kerala Story’, directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, which is running successfully in theatres, has been targeted by yet another politician. After Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee talked about banning the film in the state, now Maharashtra politician Jitendra Awhad has come out strongly against the film.
The NCP politician made a shocking statement when he said that the producer of the Kerala story should be hanged to death. While addressing the media, the former cabinet minister in Maharashtra accused the film’s makers of ruining the image of Kerala. He added, “They have not only tarnished the image of Kerala but have also insulted the women of the state.”
Awhad went on to attack the film and said that such films are made with the calculation of creating violence and hatred on the basis of lies, and then used for winning elections through the same. He went on to say that the producer of this film should be hanged to death in the middle of the road.
Awhad also accused the film’s makers of distorting facts and inflating the number of women who joined the Islamic State from Kerala.
Jitendra Awhad’s controversial past
The NCP leader has a chequered past and is no stranger to controversies. Back in 2011, Awhad attracted controversy when he inaugurated an ambulance service in the name of terrorist Ishrat Jahan. The Lashkar-e-Taiba operative was shot dead in 2004 in an encounter by Ahmedabad Police.
In 2022, Jitendra Awhad was arrested by Vartak Nagar police in Thane on Friday for stopping the show of a Marathi film titled ‘Har Har Mahadev’. Alleging that the film based on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was distorting history, the NCP workers appealed to the audience to go out of the cinema hall. After this, there were incidents of controversy after NCP workers beat up the audience sitting in the cinema hall. One of the audience members was also injured in this attack.
Recently, Awhad attracted controversy again by saying that he sometimes feels that festivals like Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti are made for riots only.
The Kerala Story banned in West Bengal
On Monday (May 8), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee banned the movie ‘The Kerala Files’ (sic) in West Bengal, citing the need to maintain ‘peace’ in the State.
“West Bengal govt has decided to ban the movie ‘The Kerala Story’. This is to avoid any incident of hatred and violence, and to maintain peace in the state,” news agency ANI quoted her as saying.
The film becomes tax-free in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh
While the film is facing attacks from some politicians, it has found support from some quarters as well as the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have decided to make the film tax-free.
Stating that the ‘The Kerala Story’ “exposes the conspiracy of love Jihad, religious conversion and terrorism,” Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had said that the newly released movie has been made tax-free in the state.
“The Kerala Story exposes the conspiracy of love Jihad, religious conversion and terrorism and brings out its hideous face. The film tells how the daughters get entangled in the trap of love jihad in momentary sentimentality and how they are ruined. The film also exposes the design of terrorism. This film makes us aware,” the Chief Minister said in a video posted on his official Twitter handle.
The movie ‘The Kerala Story‘ revolves around the tragic reality of ISIS brides, with the Adah Sharma playing the role of one Shalini Unnikrishnan, who is brainwashed by her Muslim friends and gets converted to Islam. She later travels to IS (Islamic State) controlled area with her spouse.
