The Kerala Story: Of conspiracy theories, political narrative, and false love jihad bogey

Hyderabad: Bollywood movie `The Kerala Story’ has sparked controversy for `love jihad' bogey and promoting the agenda of Sangh Parivar.

Directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the movie revolves around a group of women from Kerala who converted to Islam and joined the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The Indian National Congress and the Communist Party of India criticised the film for promoting the "love jihad" conspiracy theory and falsely claiming that thousands of women from Kerala have been converted to Islam and recruited into ISIS.

Retired IPS officer M. Nageswara Rao has also criticized the BJP's promotion of the film. In a tweet, he said, "The fact that #TheKeralaStory has been got released just before Karnataka Assembly Elections, and the @BJP4India including PM have been aggressively promoting it for their partisan political ends, destroys its credibility and worth. It once again demonstrates that for RSS-BJP neither Nationalism nor Patriotism nor Hinduism matter."

On the other hand, senior BJP leader and Member of the Central Wakf Council, Government of India Hanif Ali defended the film saying that history should be told and that it should not be viewed from a religious perspective. "In my opinion, history should be told and it should be brought in front of India. It is not right to see it from a religious perspective," he said.

The film has received mixed reviews from critics. However, it has managed to earn over ₹45 crore worldwide at the box office, making it the sixth-highest-grossing Hindi film of 2023.

Film certification process

Bharathi Rajwani Kuttoor, an Advisory Panel Member of the Central Board of Film Certification, based in Hyderabad has spoken out in defence of movies that have passed despite controversies.

Kuttoor said, "What you need to do is to see the movie. And if there are some things which have been cleared by a censor board member you can question a censor board member how did a censor board clear the movie showing that cannot be something."

Elaborating, Kuttoor said: "The censor board members are advocates, teachers, and individuals from various communities. A film is scrutinized by a panel of five members, consisting of two men, two women, and a Regional Officer. If the movie is rejected by any of these members, it is subjected to a second review in which two other members are involved. If it is rejected again, it goes to a committee of nine members, including a Reviewing Officer and the Chairman. Ultimately, ten people approve the film before its release."

According to Kuttoor, once a movie has successfully gone through the rigorous process of censorship, it is deemed fit for public viewing. "When a movie has surpassed all levels of censorship, who can question it? How can anyone stop people from watching it?" she asked.

Sponsoring free shows

The controversy surrounding 'The Kerala Story' took a new turn when movie theatres in Hyderabad announced free tickets to girls. Tivoli and Venkataramana theatres in Secunderabad and Kachiguda announced free tickets for girls aged between 15 and 30 years.

Geetesh Kate, a businessman, and a hardcore fan of Adah Sharma says, "Since the actress is playing the role of a young college student, I sponsored tickets for girls of that age group. However, I strongly believe that as a society, we need to address the social issues that still exist in India. We should stop following customs and traditions that are unethical and harmful, regardless of religion or political affiliations. Sathi Sahagamana was also unethical. Our society needs to evolve and grow continuously, and we should not force outdated customs and traditions upon the younger generation."

"I am particularly concerned about vulnerable girls who are susceptible to influence after they leave home and go to college. They need to be taught to scrutinize and think critically about the people they trust. It's essential to create awareness about these issues and educate young women about how to protect themselves."

Geeteesh, who is also associated with Santan Hindu Sangh, said they have given out 751 tickets and wish to give out more to at least 1000 students. “Our aim is to create awareness and start a conversation about these critical issues that affect our society," he said.

On May 9, a video showed police officers preventing Hindus wearing tilak and kanduvas from entering the Venkataramana theatre to watch the film. The incident sparked widespread outrage on social media, with users criticizing the theatre for promoting religious discrimination and the film for allegedly promoting divisive and false narratives.

Geetesh said, "Unfortunately, there were some controversies surrounding the screening. Members of a group called Hanuman Chalisa reached the theatre and were chanting mantras and causing a dispute with a Muslim individual. As the police suspected that there will be escalations, he stopped them from entering the theatre. This kind of behaviour is unacceptable and only serves to divide our society further. We need to come together as a society and have constructive discussions about how to address the social issues that affect us all."