Shabana Azmi, a veteran Bollywood actor, recently expressed her views on the controversy surrounding the film “The Kerala Story,” which has sparked outrage in the southern Indian state of Kerala. The movie, directed by Sudipto Sen and starring Adah Sharma, was released last week and has been accused of spreading false information about the state’s missing women.
Azmi spoke out against those who have called for a ban on the film, saying that they are “as wrong” as those who opposed the release of the Aamir Khan-starrer “Laal Singh Chaddha.” She emphasized that only the Central Board of Film Certification has the right to decide whether or not a film should be released, and that no one should act as an “extra constitutional authority.”
The controversy surrounding “The Kerala Story” began when the film’s trailer was released, which claimed that around 32,000 women were missing from the state and had been radicalized and deployed in terror missions in India and around the world. This claim was denounced by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Congress in Kerala, who called it false and baseless.
The filmmakers later changed the figure in the trailer, but the controversy continued. Prime Minister Narendra Modi even credited the film with uncovering terror conspiracies during an election rally in poll-bound Karnataka on May 5.
Despite the controversy, the Kerala High Court refused to stay the release of the film, stating that the trailer did not contain anything offensive to any particular community as a whole. The Madhya Pradesh government has also announced that “The Kerala Story” will be tax-free in the state, while Uttar Pradesh Minister Brajesh Pathak has said that the state will not oppose any proposal to grant it a similar status.
However, multiplexes in Tamil Nadu have cancelled screenings of the film from Sunday, citing law and order issues and poor public response. This move has only added to the controversy surrounding the film, which has divided opinion in the country.
Overall, the controversy surrounding “The Kerala Story” highlights the delicate balance between freedom of expression and the responsibility to not spread false information. While the Central Board of Film Certification has the final say on whether or not a film should be released, it is important for filmmakers to consider the impact their work may have on society and to ensure that they are not spreading false or inflammatory information.
Morningglobe
Nitin Jain
