Within days after releasing the trailer of “The Kerala story”, it was creating a fuss in the political air. Various responses from different political parties have come up to the front both in favor of the movie and against it. Most of the BJP-RSS opposing parties have been raising their protests against the movie. The criticisms were of different standing points and varying degrees. The MYL (Muslim Youth League) has challenged and offered to pay a sum of rupees one crore to anyone presenting evidence for the claim that 32000 people have converted to Islam and been sent to Syria. To square things up, the Hindu aikyavedi has challenged to reward 1 crore rupees for anyone who provides evidence that the official teaser or the trailer confirm the claim of 32000 people converted and transported to Syria.
Although the claims put forward by the movie have no footing to stand on, it appears easy to decipher the intentions of the film makers. The subsequent reactions have gone to point out a number of viewpoints about how a supposedly “Muslim issue” is being addressed.
The movie directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul amrutlal shah portrays a group of women from Kerala who supposedly converted to Islam and were recruited to ISIS. Various elements have been placed ostensibly professing the claims and propaganda of the far-right. It’s told in a way convenient to stir up Islamophobia not only in the minds of the Hindu community but also of the Christian community, as there is a special mention to a Christian girl in the trailer. For the past few years there has been a rise in the spread of plumbed-up rumors about girls being converted and abducted by terrorist organizations within the Christian community. Then it wouldn’t be wrong for the film makers to conjoint the Christian sentiments along with that of the Hindu community.
Various spokespersons of different political parties have commented on the movie and criticized it. The need to clarify the ends of freedom of expression has also risen to discussion.
The crux of the issue is the movie being Islamophobic is the least mentioned point by the critics speaking up against the movie. It’s not shocking when these types of perspectives arise from the left and liberal sphere. The main concern for many of the critiques has been that it raised claims that are inaccurate. As if there would be no problem in releasing such a movie with more accurate data. Another viewpoint on which the critiques are based is regional patriotism. Many have been raged that the name of Kerala has been used.
Facing continuous losses in elections and negative views within the public conscious of Kerala, the far-right is on a rigorous endeavor to gain political momentum and using its classical moves. The central left and right of the political spectrum must have a proper standpoint in comprehending, engaging and developing a critique against these planned propaganda.
The author is pursuing Islamic studies from Al Jamia Islamia, shantapuram.
