Shalini Unnikrishnan, a woman who converted to Islam,
shared her dream of becoming a nurse. But then she was forced to become her
nurse by Islamic extremists at the university who posed as her friends. She was
eventually manipulated into joining ISIS and eventually imprisoned in
Afghanistan.
Directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipur Amrtral
Shah. It stars Ada Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Bharani and Siddhi Idnani. The
plot follows a group of women in Kerala who are forced to convert to Islam and
join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The film is advertised as a
true story and is based on Hindutva's "Love Jihad" conspiracy theory.
False claims that thousands of Kerala Hindu women converted to Islam and were
drafted into IS.
About the history of Kerala:
Kerala Story has been criticized for its trailer,
which claims 32,000 Kerala women have disappeared and joined the terrorist
organization ISIS. The claim sparked political debate, with many questioning
the integrity of the claim. Ada Sharma stars in 'The Kerala Story' alongside
actresses Yogita Bihani, Sonia Bharani and Siddhi Idnani. The film grossed over
200 million at the domestic box office.
Public Protest
The film sparked public protests in Kerala and Tamil
Nadu. It appears that the situation has worsened in Tamil Nadu, forcing the
Tamil Nadu Multiplex Association to cancel further screenings. However, the
filmmakers have denied this claim, claiming it was political censorship. The
film suffered a similar fate in Kerala.
Box
office
On its
opening day, the film grossed Rs 8.03 crore in India, making it India's fifth
highest-grossing film of 2023. As of 15 June 2023, the film has grossed Rs
288.04 million (US$36 million) and Rs 15.64 million at the box office in India.
a. 2 million abroad) and took in 303.68 million rupees ($38 million) worldwide
at the box office, making it the third highest-grossing Hindi film of 2023. The
film performed well in North India, but did poorly in South India, albeit with
a cut.
No
OTT Buyers For The Kerala Story
When Subhash K Jha touched Sudipto, when he read reports that
The Kerala Story will be streaming soon, he surprised Subhash with an answer
like this:
“We have yet to receive a suitable offer for ‘Kerala Story’
from any of his OTT platforms.”
But what about all the reports of the film
being ready for streaming?
When
Subhash K Jha touched Sudipto, when he read reports that The Kerala Story will
be streaming soon, he surprised Subhash with an answer like this:
“We have yet to receive a suitable offer for ‘Kerala Story’ from
any of his OTT platforms.”
But punishment for what?
"Our box office success has angered many parts of the film industry.
We feel like parts of the entertainment industry are banding together to punish
us for our success." Sudipto argues.