Even as the film The Kerala Story is doing well in theatres across the country, the film will not be screened in Tamil Nadu from Sunday onwards. The multiplex theatres have decided to drop the movie citing the law and order situation arising due to the protests against the film as well as a poor response to the film in the state.
This comes after Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) chief Seeman and his supporters staged protests against the screening of the film in the Anna Nagar Arch near Skywalk Mall in Chennai on Saturday. Police apprehended NTK cadres following a protest inside a theatre opposing the screening of The Kerala Story.
Seeman claimed that The Kerala Story was made to denigrate Muslims and portray Muslims as terrorists. “Today (06-05-2023) we protested against the DMK government’s permission to screen the film #TheKeralaStory which was made to denigrate the Muslim people and portray the Muslims as terrorists in Tamil Nadu. During the blockade struggle held on behalf of the Tamil party,” Seeman tweeted on May 6.
The Kerala Story screenings were cancelled in various Kerala districts on the day of its premiere. Two previously scheduled shows in Kochi were cancelled. The movie was also boycotted by theatre owners at Kochi’s Lulu Mall and Centre Square Mall. Similarly, theatres in the districts of Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Kannur, and Wayanad opted not to screen the film.
It is notable that while the movie has been dubbed into several languages, only the Hindi version of the movie has been released. According to director Sudipto Sen, the dubbed versions as stuck at regional censor offices, and that’s why they have not been released. He hoped that the movie dubbed into Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam will be released after they are cleared by the respective censor boards.
Despite the outrage, demands for its ban, and cancelled shows, the Adah Sharma starrer continued its impressive run in the theatres on Day 2 as the film minted over Rs 12.50 crores at the domestic box office. With a collection of around Rs 8.03 crore on Day 1, the film’s total domestic collection stands at Rs 20.53 crore.
The movie ‘The Kerala Story‘ revolves around the tragic reality of ISIS brides, with the lead actor Adah Sharma playing the role of one Shalini Unnikrishnan, who is brainwashed by her Muslim friends and gets converted to Islam. She later travels to ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) also known as IS (Islamic State) controlled area with her spouse.