'The Kerala Story' in the dock

The Kerala police is initiating legal action against an upcoming Hindi film, The Kerala Story, accusing it of portraying the state as a recruitment haven of ISIS.

Remarks in the recently-released teaser of the film featuring a Malayali woman who joined ISIS triggered the controversy. The character named Shalini Unnikrishnan says that there were 32,000 women like her who joined ISIS and have now landed in Afghanistan jail. A deadly game is being played openly to convert normal girls into dreaded terrorists in Kerala, she says.

A Chennai-based journalist from Kerala lodged a petition with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urging that steps should be taken to ban the film as it was presenting a wrong impression of Kerala without any proof. Director General of Police Anil Kant looked into the petition and directed the Thiruvananthapuram city police to take legal action.

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City police commissioner Sparjan Kumar said that a legal action was sought on further steps to be taken.

A case under section 153 of IPC for triggering provocation and promoting enmity is likely to be initiated against the crew, the police sources said.

Adah Sharma is playing the lead role in the film by Sudipto Sen. It is produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah.

The complainant B R Aravindakshan said that although he had sent petitions to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) also, he was yet to get any reply.

Meanwhile, the mother of a Kerala woman who reportedly joined ISIS along with her husband and is now said to be languishing in Afghanistan said that the filmmakers had approached her with regard to the making of the film. But she was not interested in it.

CPM and Congress had also sought action against the film, alleging it was a part of the Sangh Parivar agenda to defame Kerala. Opposition leader V D Satheesan demanded the state government to take stern action.

CPM's Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas urged Home Minister Amit Shah to take actions against the teaser being widely circulated in social media. He said that grossly false information that could promote enmity and defame Kerala was being spread through the teaser.