A senior Congress leader, Shashi Tharoor has criticized the makers of the upcoming movie “The Kerala Story” for distorting the reality of the state.
Tharoor’s remarks came in response to accusations of double standards over his criticism of the film, citing his 2021 tweet about three Kerala mothers whose daughters were taken to Afghanistan by their husbands.
The film, directed by Sudipto Sen and starring Adah Sharma, claims to unearth the events behind 32,000 women allegedly going missing from Kerala. However, the CPI(M) and Congress in Kerala say that the film falsely claims that the women were radicalized and deployed in terror missions.
Tharoor addressed the issue in a lengthy Twitter post, clarifying that his concerns about radicalization only pertained to the three Kerala mothers who had approached him and not the 32,000 women the film alleges. Tharoor criticized the film’s exaggeration and distortion of the Kerala reality.
The film’s producer, Vipul Amrutlal Shah, has claimed that every scene in the film is true, but it deals with only three girls. He also stated that the number of 32,000 is what they have stated and they are staying by it. The film’s writer-director Sudipto Sen’s earlier movies are “Aasma”, “Lucknow Times” and “The Last Monk”.
The Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, had also criticized the film, saying it takes up the Sangh Parivar propaganda of projecting the state as a centre of religious extremism by raising the issue of ‘love jihad’, a concept rejected by courts, probe agencies and the home ministry.
The film, backed by Sunshine Pictures Private Limited, is set to release in cinemas on May 5. As the matter has become sub judice, Shah said he would not elaborate on it, and they will answer the questions in court if asked.
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