The 'distorted' Kerala Story: Mamata Banerjee bans Islamophobic film in Bengal

Indian politician Mamata Banerjee, serving chief minister of West Bengal, banned the Islamophobic film ‘The Kerala Story’ in the state.

On Monday, Mamata Banerjee announced that her government of Trinamool Congress (TMC) will ban the controversial title in Bengal, owing to the ‘distorted’ depiction of the original subject.

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Comparing it to Vivek Agnihotri’s ‘The Kashmir Files’, Banerjee said that the film is aimed at hitting out a particular community, similar to the former.

“What was this Kashmir Files? It was to humiliate one section. What is this Kerala Story? I don’t support CPI-M [Communist Party of India – Marxist]. But I am sorry to say that the CPI-M is working with the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party]. That BJP is sowing the Kerala Story – a distorted story,” she said while speaking to the reporters.

The statement issued by the state’s government after Banerjee’s announcement read: “It is apprehended that the scenes in the movie can prove dangerous for the maintenance of law and order and thus screening of the film is banned in Kolkata and in all districts. The state administration has taken this decision to maintain peace and discipline.”

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Reacting to the move, Rahul Sinha, BJP leader from Bengal, termed it a ‘communal step’ and ‘infringement on the freedom of art and cinema’.

The Sudipto Sen directorial, starring Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani and Siddhi Idnani, was released in nationwide theatres on May 5.

The plot of ‘The Kerala Story’ follows the story of a group of women from the Indian state who were allegedly lured by Muslim youth to convert to Islam and were then taken to Afghanistan to join the militant Islamist group, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).