Congress urges state govt not to give permission to screen 'The Kerala Story' which makes 'false claims'

Thiruvananthapuram: The opposition Congress on Friday urged the government not to give permission to screen the controversial movie 'The Kerala Story', as it aimed to create "communal divisions in society through false claims".

According to the filmmakers, 'The Kerala Story', written and directed by Sudipto Sen, "unearths" the events behind "approximately 32,000 women" going missing in the southern state who have allegedly converted, radicalised and deployed in terror missions in India and the world.

Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan rejected the claims of the movie makers and said it was clear that the intention of the upcoming movie was to tarnish the image of the state at the international level.

"Permission should not be given to screen the film which falsely claims that 32,000 women in Kerala have been converted into Islam and became members of ISIS," the Congress leader said.

'The Kerala Story', starring Adah Sharma, is set to be released in cinemas on May 5.

The trailer of the film itself tells what the movie is trying to say, Satheesan said here in a statement. "This is not an issue of freedom of expression but part of an attempt to implement the Sangh Parivar agenda of creating division in the society by casting aspersions on the minority groups." "No one should think that Kerala can be divided by spewing the poison of communalism," he said adding that the state would stand united -- as has been its tradition -- against this "deliberate move to foster religious rivalry".

The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the ruling CPI(M), also lashed out against the film and said its trailer itself hurt religious sentiments.

In a hard-hitting Facebook post, the DYFI alleged that the medium of cinema was being misused by the makers of the movie to create communal divisions in society and to tarnish the image of the state.

The Left outfit also sought stern action against the film.

In a press note issued earlier this week, the filmmakers announced the release date with a poster that shows a burqa-clad woman with a tagline "Uncovering the truth that was kept hidden." The film's writer-director Sudipto Sen's earlier movies are 'Aasma', 'Lucknow Times' and 'The Last Monk'.

'The Kerala Story' is backed by Sunshine Pictures Private Limited, founded by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, who serves as the producer, creative director and co-writer on the film.