Days after a journalist from Tamil Nadu filed a petition against the makers of the controversal film The Kerala Story, the Kerala police has said that it will register a case against them. The teaser of the film, directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Shah’s movie, was released on November 2. It claimed that 32,000 women from Kerala were forcibly converted and allegedly recruited to the terror outfit ISIS. According to the makers, The Kerala Story is based on true incidents, despite the fact that such a high number of missing women has never been reported in Kerala.
Speaking to TNM, sources from Kerala police confirmed that the Thiruvananthapuram Commissioner is likely to file the FIR on Wednesday. “The complaint was forwarded from the office of the Chief Minister. Based on the complaint, the cyber crime cell had conducted a preliminary enquiry and submitted a report to the office of the police chief stating that there are grounds for a case to be filed. Following this, the police chief transferred the case to the Thiruvananthapuram city police commissioner and has asked the latter to file an FIR,” the source said.
The Congress has also called for a ban on the film. According to ANI, Congress leader and leader of opposition in Kerala Assembly VD Satheesan commented on the ongoing row on Wednesday, November 9, and observed that it is a “clear case of misinformation”.
“I have seen the teaser. It’s a clear case of misinformation. There is nothing like that happening in Kerala. This is to tarnish the image of Kerala in front of other states. This is a Sangh Parivar agenda. They are consistently trying to spread hatred among people. On what basis is the film made, and on what information?” he reportedly said. He also added that the figures projected in the teaser do not match the data available with the state police. “There is no record with the state police. If there is anything with central intelligence, they have to bring it to the public,” Satheesan observed. Seeking a ban on the film, he said, “This is spreading hatred so it should be banned. In a normal scenario, we are against banning films, but this type of misinformation will lead to communal issues.”
Earlier this week, journalist Aravindakshan had sent petitions to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairperson Prasoon Joshi, the Kerala Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting requesting them to place a ban on the film unless director Sudipto Sen and producer Vipul Amrutal Shah submitted documents confirming the veracity of the information presented in the teaser.