The Kerala Story Gets A Certificate, 10 Scenes Deleted Including Interview With Ex-CM

Amid the controversy surrounding ‘The Kerala Story’, the Censor Board has issued the film an 'A' certificate. The film is scheduled to release on May 5.

'The Kerala Story', starring Adah Sharma, is scheduled to release on May 5

New Delhi: Amid the controversy surrounding ‘The Kerala Story’, the Censor Board has issued the film an 'A' certificate. The film is scheduled to release on May 5. Ten scenes, including the interview of a former Kerala chief minister -- understood to be VS Achuthanandan, have been reportedly deleted. 

According to Onmanorama, ten scenes from the movie have been deleted, including the interview of a former Kerala chief minister. One of the deleted scenes has 'dialogues and inappropriate references to Hindu Gods.’ A dialogue stated, "Indian Communists are biggest hypocrites,” the word Indian is reported to have been deleted. 

There was a TV interview with a former Kerala CM where he stated that in the next 20 years, Kerala would become a Muslim-majority state as youngsters were being influenced to convert to Islam. The entire interview has been deleted.  

The Kerala Story Controversy 
'The Kerala Story', starring Adah Sharma, is portrayed as "unearthing" the events behind "approximately 32,000 women" allegedly going missing in the southern state. The film claims they converted, got radicalised and were deployed in terror missions in India and the world. 

The film has triggered a political storm, with the Kerala government and many other parties slamming the film and the makers. 

On Sunday, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the film's makers in a Facebook post, saying they were taking up the Sangh Parivar propaganda of projecting the state as a centre of religious extremism by raising the issue of love jihad.’ 

Vijayan also said the trailer of the Hindi film, at first glance, appears to be "deliberately produced" with the alleged aim of creating communal polarisation and spreading hate propaganda against the state. 

"In the trailer of the movie, we see a hoax that 32,000 women in Kerala were converted and became members of the Islamic State. This bogus story is a product of the Sangh Parivar's lie factory," the CM contended in his statement. 

He said despite the issue of 'love jihad' being rejected by probe agencies, courts and the MHA, it was being raised in connection with Kerala as the main premise of the film only to humiliate the state in front of the world. 

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday said that Keralites have every right to state that ‘The Kerala Story’ is a "misrepresentation of our reality.” 

Tagging a poster of the Muslim Youth League Kerala offering a reward of Rs 1 crore if someone can prove allegations that 32,000 Keralites converted and fled to Syria, Tharoor tweeted, "Now there's an opportunity for all those hyping the alleged conversions of 32,000 women on Kerala to Islamism - to prove their case and make some money." "Will they be up to the challenge or is there simply no proof because none exists?" the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said, using the hashtag 'Not Our Kerala Story'. 

 

Now there’s an opportunity for all those hyping the alleged conversions of 32,000 women on Kerala to Islamism — to prove their case and make some money. Will they be up to the challenge or is there simply no proof because none exists? #NotOurKeralaStory pic.twitter.com/SrwaMx556H

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 1, 2023

In another tweet, he said, "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 & clear that this is a misrepresentation of our reality." 

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 & clear that this is a misrepresentation of our reality. https://t.co/sEIG91mjSP

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 1, 2023

'The Kerala Story' is backed by Sunshine Pictures Private Limited, founded by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, who serves as the producer, creative director and co-writer of the film. 

(With PTI inputs)