The screening of the controversial movie “The Kerala Story” has been halted by theatre owners in Tamil Nadu due to opposition from various groups. Several online ticket booking platforms have also removed the movie from their Chennai listings. The decision has been taken as theatre owners believe that the screening of this film affects the box office performance of other films in multiplexes.
Although the Tamil Nadu government has not banned the film, it is largely distributed in the state by Red Giant Movies, which has close links with the ruling DMK. The announcement to stop screening “The Kerala Story” comes shortly after the Madras High Court dismissed a plea seeking a ban on the film earlier this week.
Muslim organizations had sought a ban on the film, claiming that it made an exaggerated claim that 32,000 Hindu and Christian women in Kerala have converted and got lured into joining the terror organization ISIS. On the other hand, right-wing groups want the movie to be screened, claiming it to be close to the truth.
The ruling Left Front in Kerala has argued that the film humiliates the southern state and will spread communal hatred. The opposition Congress has also alleged that the movie portrays a false image of Kerala, and there is an ulterior motive behind it.
The movie’s producers have faced criticism for wrongly projecting facts in the promo of the film, which claimed that 32,000 women from Kerala had joined ISIS. The promo has since been changed to “true stories of three young girls from different parts of Kerala.” Meanwhile, Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan 2 or PS 2 is doing well at the box office in Tamil Nadu.
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