Doordarshan has announced that The Kerala Story film will be aired on Friday (5th April). Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday condemned Doordarshan’s decision. He said that this is an attempt at polarization just before the Lok Sabha elections. Kerala Congress leader VD Satheesan has also demanded that the government channel back off the move to screen the ‘The Kerala Story’ on Doordarshan, saying the movie is a “collection of untruth.”
On his X handle, Pinarayi Vijayan posted, “The decision by Doordarshan to broadcast the film ‘Kerala Story’, which incites polarisation, is highly condemnable. The national news broadcaster should not become a propaganda machine of the BJP-RSS combine and withdraw from screening a film that only seeks to exacerbate communal tensions ahead of the general elections. Kerala will remain steadfast in opposing such malicious attempts to sow hatred.”
The decision by @DDNational to broadcast the film 'Kerala Story', which incites polarisation, is highly condemnable. The national news broadcaster should not become a propaganda machine of the BJP-RSS combine and withdraw from screening a film that only seeks to exacerbate…
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) April 4, 2024
The CPI(M) state secretary alleged that the BJP decided to screen the film as the general elections are approaching, hoping to push its political agenda as the BJP was unable to make inroads into Kerala’s society. CPI (M) said, “It is like challenging Kerala. When it was released, there were strong protests in Kerala. The censor board itself removed 10 scenes from the film.” When the film was released in 2023, it was strongly opposed by the CPI(M) and the Congress.
Kerala Congress leader VD Satheesan said, “The strategy of the Sangh Parivar administration led by Modi is to create division within secular society by screening the film ‘The Kerala Story’, which is a collection of untruth. Understanding that the politics of division cannot be used in Kerala, Sangh Pariwar using Doordarshan, a central government institution, for political gain cannot be accepted.” He further called the move “a flagrant violation of the election code of conduct.”
Meanwhile, Congress Working Committee member Ramesh Chennithala also said that the move to screen ‘The Kerala Story’ on Doordarshan, which is filled with falsehoods about Kerala, is aiming for communal polarization. He said, “The central government should back off from it. It will become clear after the election that the BJP’s cheap politics will not work in Kerala. By showing the movie, the BJP is trying to spread falsehoods about Kerala. It creates division in society.”
The general election for 543 Lok Sabha seats across the nation is set to unfold in seven phases, commencing on 19th April and concluding on 1st June, with results slated for declaration on 4th June. Approximately 97 crore eligible voters are poised to participate in this electoral process. Kerala, will witness its Lok Sabha election in a single phase on 26th April.
It is important to note that Adah Sharma-starrer ‘The Kerala Story’ is one of the successful movies of 2023. The film saw popularity and ran well but there were attempts to corner the film and ban it for the subject matter. The film brought a spotlight on subjects like forced/lured religious conversions, ISIS brides, and love jihad. The film was even banned in West Bengal initially and the makers had to plead before the Honourable courts to get its ban lifted, which was eventually lifted. However, there were reports of the court’s order not being followed in its entirety. The story of the movie is based on the true story of Hindu girl Nimisha who was brain washed into marrying a Muslim, converting to Islam and leaving India to join ISIS.
Kerala has seen the highest number of jihadi recruitments where young men and women left the country to become terrorists for ISIS. Many of them died and some were imprisoned in the jails of Afghanistan or Pakistan after the fall of ISIS.
