'The Kerala Story' should not be screened, says State Muslim Youth League General Secy

"This film should not be screened. This movie is about the hatred of others towards a particular religion or community. You can be critical and sarcastic. But don't be a hater. It is insulting to Muslims, Kerala and girls", Firos said.

Firos further said, "Our intention is to expose the hypocrisy of the film. We have now partially succeeded in that. Because earlier the makers of the movie claimed that 32000 girls from Kerala were converted. Now they have revised it and made it a story of three girls. People of Kerala, India and around the world are convinced this is fake propaganda. They had to turn away from insulting Kerala."

Firos alleged that the film would create a communal divide within religious groups and inciting hatred and fear in a section is an offence under the Indian Penal Code.

"We are not of the opinion that the film should be banned. The question is can anything be showcased in the name of a film and creative expression? This film intends to create a competition between different religious groups. When a non-Muslim watches a movie, he/she will naturally grow a fear of associating with Muslims. Thus inciting hatred and fear amongst a section is an offence under the Indian Penal Code. If it is called a movie, can anything be screened even if it spreads hatred? This movie is not within the scope of a film. It is a matter of competition between different religious groups", Firos added.

He further said, "Unfortunately, the Censor Board which is under the central government granted permission for screening the film. So we do not expect any further action from the Censor Board or other agencies against this. We will raise this issue politically."

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain pleas seeking a stay on the release of the movie 'The Kerala Story' in theatres and OTT platforms and allowed the petitioners to approach the Kerala High Court.

A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha said a similar plea is pending before the Kerala High Court and asked them to move the High Court with their pleas.

The high court is scheduled to hear the case against the film on May 5.

Advocate Vrinda Grover mentioned the petition before the bench seeking urgent listing tomorrow saying the film is getting released on May 5.

The petition mentioned by Grover sought a modification in the disclaimer of the film to state that it is wholly fictional.The bench, however, asked them to approach the High Court where a similar petition is pending.

On Tuesday, Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind approached the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the release of the movie in theatres and OTT platforms saying the movie was likely to cause hatred and enmity between different sections of society in India.

The plea said the film demeans the entire Muslim community and it will result in endangering the life and livelihood of the entire Muslim community.

Seeking direction to not allow the release of the movie, the plea also sought direction that its trailer be removed from the internet.

Alternatively, it sought direction that the movie 'The Kerala Story' be released with a disclaimer stating that it is a work of fiction and the characters in the movie bear no resemblance to any person living or dead.

However, an investigation by the State police carried out in 2009 revealed that there was no evidence of "love jihad" in the State of Kerala, it further said.

The movie may adversely impact social relations between communities as well as individuals belonging to different communities by spreading enmity, hatred and suspicion, the plea stated.Another plea was also filed on May 2 seeking a stay on the release of the film saying it allegedly promotes hate speech.

"The film claims to be "inspired by many true stories". The story-line of the said film as seen from the trailer is how thousands of Hindu and Christian women are being lured and brainwashed by Muslim men pursuant to an international conspiracy, converted to Islam, turned into radicals and trafficked to become part of ISIS where they are kept against their will, abused and exploited," the plea has stated.

Senior Congress leader MM Hassan on Tuesday called for a ban on the movie 'The Kerala Story' and claimed that it would create communal divisions in society.

"The movie 'The Kerala Story' is produced as part of a Sangh Parivar propaganda. Its impression is to create communal divisions in society. This movie will destroy the secular image of Kerala in the world. So we call for a ban on 'The Kerala Story'. The producer and the director are claiming that it is their creative freedom and justifying this. But it doesn't mean that in that name they will spread lies and communalise society", Hassan said.

Amid the ongoing controversy over the 'The Kerala Story' film, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor stressed that he wasn't calling for a ban on the film but it is a misrepresentation of the state's reality.

This comes on the heels of his remark that the film may be "your" Kerala story but not "our" Kerala story.

"Let me stress, I am not calling for a ban on the film. Freedom of expression does not cease to be valuable just because it can be misused. But Keralites have every right to say loud and clear that this is a misrepresentation of our reality," Tharoor tweeted.

While Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a statement on Sunday that the movie was deliberately made with the aim of communal polarisation and to spread hate propaganda against Kerala.

'The Kerala Story' has become a topic for discussion around the numbers being exaggerated in the trailer of the film.

Helmed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the film is all set to hit the theatres on May 5, 2023.

'The Kerala Story' stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani in the lead roles.

The trailer of Sen's film 'The Kerala Story' came under fire as it claimed that 32,000 girls from the state went missing and later joined the terrorist group, ISIS. (ANI)