On Monday, May 8, The Kerala Story producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah reacted to the announcement made by the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, where she said the state banned the film to “maintain peace”. Reacting to the statement, Shah said he would take appropriate legal action if West Bengal or any other state bans the film.
"We'll take legal action. If any state govt is banning the film, the onus is on it to prove the reason for the same. Hon'ble SC has cleared the film. Our film isn't against any community or religion but against terrorism," producer of 'The Kerala Story' Vipul Amrutlal Shah says. pic.twitter.com/vkXjI7jOvz
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) May 9, 2023
Furthermore, he added that he has told his friends to stay away from the controversy and not to post anything about the film on social media. He mentioned the incident where actor Vidyut Jammwal shared its trailer and got trolled over social media. Speaking to the Times of India, he said, “How can I predict what the political parties are thinking today? That needs to be clarified by them only. If a government decides to ban a film, they need to clarify why they’re banning a film after the Supreme Court has cleared the film.”
“I tell my friends or supporters from the industry not to get involved in these controversies. Because some people have a problem with Bollywood these days, and if someone supports the film, they get trolled. Despite me telling him not to, Vidyut Jammwal shared the film’s trailer. He got a lot of trolling as well as love. There’s one troll army which is trying to damage this film. But the audience is giving them their answer with each passing day. If the screenings of our film are stopped in West Bengal, we take legal recourse and take appropriate legal action,” he added.
Mamata Banerjee banned the film in West Bengal
On May 8, WB CM Banerjee banned the film in the state to maintain “peace”. Though the film’s name is ‘The Kerala Story’, she said ‘The Kerala Files’ for unknown reasons. “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 recently released film has become a hot topic of discussion because of its sensitive topic, including terrorism, love jihad, and ISIS. While the film has received appreciation from all walks of society, a specific section opposed the film claiming that it shows the state of Kerala in a bad light. However, while hearing the plea against the film, the Kerala High Court categorically said if anyone would feel offended by the film it should be the terrorist organisation ISIS.
The movie ‘The Kerala Story‘ revolves around the tragic reality of ISIS brides, with 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.
