Bans and litigation : The Kerala Story | Cast, Box Office, Public protests & Political opposition

The Kerala Story 

About The Kerala Story Movie :-

The Kerala Story is a movie from 2023 in Hindi, directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah. The main actors are Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, and Siddhi Idnani. The story is about a group of women from Kerala who are forced to change their religion to Islam and join a group called the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The film claims to be based on a true story and talks about a conspiracy theory called "love jihad," suggesting that many Hindu women from Kerala have been converted to Islam and recruited by ISIS.

The movie came out on May 5, 2023, and made a lot of money worldwide. It was the fifth-highest-grossing Hindi film of the year, earning ₹303.97 crore (US$38 million). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supported the film during the Karnataka assembly election. Despite its financial success, many movie critics didn't like it. They said it promotes negative ideas about Islam and is like propaganda against it. The film also faced legal problems and protests, especially in Kerala, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu."

The Kerala Story main characters :-

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•  Adah Sharma takes on the role of Shalini Unnikrishnan, also known as Fatima Ba.
•  Yogita Bihani portrays Nimah.
•  Sonia Balani brings Asifa to life.
•  Siddhi Idnani plays Geetanjali.
•  Devadarshini stars as Shalini's mother.
•  Vijay Krishna is Ishak.
•  Pranay Pachauri appears as Rameez.
•  Pranav Misshra takes on the character Abdul.
•  Pranali Ghogare embodies Shaziya."

Box Office Of The Kerala Story :-

When the movie first hit the screens, it made a whopping ₹8.03 crore on the very first day in India, ranking it as the fifth-best opener of 2023 in the country. By June 15, 2023, it had earned ₹288.04 crore (US$36 million) in India and ₹15.64 crore (US$2.0 million) internationally, adding up to a massive worldwide collection of ₹303.97 crore (US$38 million). This impressive total placed it as the third-highest-grossing Hindi film of 2023. Interestingly, while it did really well in the northern parts of India, it didn't quite hit the mark in the southern regions."

Political opposition The Kerala Story :-

In Kerala, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Indian National Congress, the only two parties that have been in charge since Independence, didn't like the movie. They said it was spreading false information that might cause tension between communities, and they linked it to the Sangh Parivar's agenda. In Tamil Nadu, protests happened, led by Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) and several Muslim political groups.

The Kerala Story Public protests :- 

In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, people weren't happy with the movie, and they showed it by protesting in public.In Tamil Nadu, the movie didn't do well, and the Multiplex Association there even decided to stop showing it. But, the filmmakers don't agree with this and say it's more about politics than the movie itself. The story was quite similar in Kerala."

Release Date Of The Kerala Story movie :-

The movie was brought to life by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, who not only produced it but also served as the creative director. People got to watch it in theaters from May 5, 2023. ZEE5 grabbed the digital streaming rights to showcase it online. Before hitting the screens in the country, the film had to pass through the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification), where it underwent some changes as requested and ended up with an adults-only classification.

The Kerala Story Movie Bans and litigation :-

"Before the movie hit the Big screens, people's are raised concerns. They filed petitions in different courts like the Madras High Court, Kerala High Court, and even the Supreme Court, asking to stop the movie for causing issues between communities. The courts mostly rejected these requests, but they did tell the filmmakers to take down anything that said thirty-two thousand girls turned to Islam and joined ISIS in real life, including the teaser.

Then, on May 8, the West Bengal government said 'no' to the movie, calling it 'hate speech.' They said it might make people fight. The filmmakers didn't agree and went to the Supreme Court. The ban got paused, but the filmmakers had to add two warnings: one, that the numbers in the movie weren't real, and two, that the movie told a made-up story based on real things.