West Bengal became the first state to ban controversial Bollywood film The Kerala Story which narrates the ordeal of three women who are trafficked to the IS terror camp after being converted to Islam.
The Trinamool Congress government banned the movie to “maintain peace” and to avoid incidents of “hatred and violence” in the state “What was ‘The Kashmir Files‘? It was meant purely to humiliate a particular section of society. What is ‘The Kerala Story‘? It is a distorted story,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, announcing the government’s decision.
Banerjee has given direction to officials to ensure the movie has been removed from all theatres where it is being screened. Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the producer of the film, said they will pursue legal options against the West Bengal government’s decision.
The Kerala Story, directed by Sudipto Sen, has sparked off a political outrage with the opposition parties, including the Congress and the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala, terming it an ‘RSS propaganda’ to defame a particular community.
The BJP, however, has threw its wight behind the film with the Madhya Pradesh government already making it tax free in the state. Uttar Pradesh minister Brajesh Pathak said his government, too, will not oppose any proposal to grant similar status in the state.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday said those who are opposing the film are supporting the agenda of terror group PFI as well the ISIS.
Meanwhile, the multiplexes across Tamil Nadu have cancelled screenings of the controversial film from Sunday, citing law and order issues and poor public response.
West Bengal BJP slammed the TMC government over its decision to ban the controversial movie ‘The Kerala Story’ as a blatant attempt to scuttle “free speech” and appease a section of the minority community to serve its political interests. The Bengal government this evening has decided to ban the movie “The Kerala Story”.
“The TMC talks about free speech and freedom of expression. By banning the film, they have proved whom they are supporting. The film is against terrorism and ISIS. By banning a film which exposes their modus operandi, are they (TMC government) supporting terrorism? This has been done to appease a section of the minority community,” BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said.
Noted actor-turned-BJP leader Rudranil Sen claimed that such stunts won’t help the TMC consolidate minority votes.
