Supreme Court and Madras High Court Refuse To Ban "The Kerala Story" Movie Citing That The Market Will Decide Its Fate
The Madras High Court has dismissed an appeal seeking a ban on the release of the controversial movie "The Kerala Story", which is about alleged radicalisation and conversion of young Hindu women to Islam in Kerala, after which they are inducted into the terrorist outfit Islamic State or ISIS. The Supreme Court had also refused to entertain a string of petitions, including one filed by the Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind, against the film's release. The top court had asked the petitioners to approach the appropriate high court, which in this case was the Madras High Court.
The ruling Left Front in Kerala has argued that the film humiliates the southern state and will spread communal hatred. The film's portrayal of Kerala is false, and there is an ulterior motive behind it, the ruling Left and the opposition Congress have alleged. The Democratic Youth Federation of India, the youth wing of the CPM, has also lodged a complaint with the state police chief, seeking legal action against the movie's producer and director. The complaint alleges that the movie, portraying some among the Muslim community as ISIS terrorists, would create communal divisions in the society and cause riots.
Earlier today, the Supreme Court refused to entertain a petition challenging the film board certification granted to the movie. It also refused to direct the Kerala High Court to hear the appeals as a priority. Pointing out that the certification has already been given, a bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said, "You must think of the actors, producer... they have all put in their labour. You must be very careful about staying films. The market will decide if it is not up to the mark".
The film, starring Adah Sharma, is written and directed by Sudipto Sen, and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah. A promo of the film that claimed 32,000 women from Kerala had joined ISIS has been changed to "true stories of three young girls from different parts of Kerala," after the film's producers faced criticism for wrongly projecting facts.
The controversy surrounding "The Kerala Story" highlights the complex issues of freedom of speech and expression, communal harmony, and responsible filmmaking. While filmmakers have the right to tell their stories, they also have a responsibility to ensure that their work does not cause harm or spread hatred in society. The certification process by the film board is meant to ensure that films do not offend any section of society or promote any kind of discrimination or violence. In this case, it remains to be seen whether the film will meet these standards and whether it will have any impact on communal harmony in Kerala and beyond.
