Is the Film, The Kerala Story Justifying the True Reality of Kerala? A Thought-Provoking Review of the Most Controversial Movie of 2023

Introduction

The Kerala Story, a most controversial movie has been creating a strange storm since it was released. Before the movie could create any awareness, people are keeping two diverse opinions where some are supporting the movie while some are against it.

Are you brave enough to watch it ? #TheKeralaStory @sudiptoSENtlm #VipulAmrutlalShah @Aashin_A_Shah @sunshinepicture pic.twitter.com/Y1gP9C1riM

— Adah Sharma (@adah_sharma) May 7, 2023

After researching and analyzing over the internet, talking to people and listening to their opinions, we also want the public to understand the depth of its storytelling before creating a fuss about what is right and what is wrong. In our debut article, we will try to comprehend and reveal the true reality of the tale than pick any side of the war. You know, telling the truth is the toughest thing but listening truth is the bitterest. In this fast-moving Internet age, communication is fast, but miscommunication is also going at the same pace. So, the audience should be smart enough to comprehend, not only with their intelligence but also with their true emotions. We are emotional creatures and emotions can be right or wrong.

We watched The Kerala Story movie on the first day first show and perceived, basically it's a story of a group of four women from Kerala who got brainwashed by a Islamic girl (that's what they show) and persuaded to convert to Islam & then joined the Islamic State of Iraq & Syria - ISIS to use them as sex slaves and in their missions too.

This movie has become so sensitive that rarely you can pick any side because people aren't ready to absorb the reality (What they had shown in the movie) but fighting over to save their own religions and state; so, where's the real issue is hidden actually?

The Kerala Story movie actually lands in between the Good and Bad & that's why the controversy is happening. Overall, the entire movie was focusing on spreading awareness of Love Jihad issue but has fallen into problems because it targeted one community (May or may not be because maybe they wanted to show the true events).

Also, there are some sensitive dialogues like, those who pray to God will go to hell and those who pray to Allah will go to heaven & even many sensitive & violent scenes that may steal anyone's soul.

Although this movie was directed by Sudipto Sen, starring Adah Sharma, who nailed her role very well along with her Malayali accent.

In gist, the movie focuses on how four Kerala girls were being brainwashed and converted to Muslims based on Love Jihad. Also, if you read the Wikipedia page of this movie, you will find, the movie is depicting the controversy for falsely claiming that thousands of women from Kerala were converted to Islam and recruited into ISIS.

The movie has tight screenplay, strong characters and emotional aspects that would hook anyone till the end but should a nation get inspired from such movies? That's a question we should ask ourselves.

This movie was made to focus on raising a great awareness on saving the girls of Kerala but some of the unchecked factors like targeting community, neglected true data and other harmony issues make it hanging on the thin thread. 

A MUST WATCH: A very well researched video based on available facts by @dhruv_rathee bursting the fake claims of the Propaganda movie 'The Kerala Story'. Do watch and share the full video available on YouTube. https://t.co/0IdOzLUjK0 pic.twitter.com/y8sqEiIYy3

— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) May 11, 2023

Till now, Indian National Congress is criticizing this movie for promoting Love Jihad and conspiracy theories. The movie is surely based on true-life incidents, but the reliability of the statistics shown aren't backed by the real evidence and that's why the awareness is also suffering with these half-baked truths. The movie supporters are claiming it's spreading the awareness with right motive and It's stating the truth but some factors like hampering the community and religions are making an unsettling disturbance among people.

We aren't denying the sufferings of such girls but finding the reality of such truths is also significant because if people are getting truth with the manipulations then the real truth can also be hampered with it.

The statistics of this Film on Wikipedia claim that the figures are widely inaccurate, and based on unrelated statistics. It's significant to know, there are also some cases where people willingly converted their religion to some other and in that case, Islam, where the communities are feeling downhearted because somehow not everyone in the community can be blamed & even with some dialogues Hindu Gods were shown in some negative aspect.

It's miserable to feel when someone gets hated just because of their religion, and we forget that we are living in a secular world where people have the right to choose their religion proudly. We don't support or oppose this issue but are analysing how things are going forward for nothing.

 
The makers of this film claim it to be a true story but the Tamil Nadu based Journalist along with the Chief Minister of Kerala filed a case for stating false propaganda against Kerala & community harmony was being destroyed. Do you know, the verdict and jurisdiction rights are always given to the right people so, the whole audience doesn't decide the conclusion even if everyone is capable of. Every opinion can't be served, but justice can be. 

On 9th May, Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee announced a ban on the movie. She said, the decision was taken to maintain peace in the state & prevent violence and hate crime but the now producer of this movie is looking to take legal action against it.

There's no doubt; The Kerala Story movie was made with pure intention to create awareness but some of the factors may be intentional or unintentional like targeting one community and lack of true statistics killed its warm peaceful presence. People should learn the true facts, not everything. This movie showed the reality maybe but some factors made Hindu-Muslim unsettling appearance in society. It's true, some people willingly convert to other religions but now, the audience is playing with their own opinions. 

A nation shouldn't be too inspired without knowing everything in reality. That reality is still on hold. In some scenes of the movie, the makers showed extreme brainwashing that makes it hard to accept in the short run but it can happen when you live with someone for a long time.

 

There's a way to spread awareness, but not by hating something. The film started as an issue but became a political agenda. Even Shashi Tharoor said, it may be your Kerala story. It's not our Kerala story. Now everyone has an opinion but before less people only talked about it, that's also a big question.

 

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, it’s a Hate Propaganda against Kerala and appears to have been deliberately made with the aim of communal polarization and to spread hate propaganda against Kerala. 

This movie raises some significant question that need to answered. If we keep religious community factor silent here, to know, is this really happening with the Kerala girls? If yes, then it's bone chilling to digest it.

The religious matter is dominating on the actual matter and awareness of the movie where everyone is ready to be directed to save the community and that's actually needed but the reality (if we get the right statistics) shouldn't be ignored. This can make it right. It's extremely relevant to save the truth, religious communities and humans.

Save the wrong but don't hide & ignore the reality of the truth while focusing too much on the wrong. It's humans that make virtue and sin, not religion. The simplest learnings are creating the toughest war in the world.