Kerala CM Urges Against Airing ‘The Kerala Story’ on TV, Citing Propaganda Concerns

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has criticized the controversial film “The Kerala Story” for broadcasting on Kerala’s public broadcaster, Doordarshan Channel. He has instructed the broadcaster to halt the screening of the film.

Pinarayi posted on X on Thursday (April 4th), stating that communal tensions would escalate prior to the Lok Sabha elections. He also urged Doordarshan not to become a propaganda machine for the BJP and RSS.

Indeed, Doordarshan has confirmed that the broadcast of this film will be halted tonight, April 5th, at 8 p.m. The film was released on May 5, 2023. Even at that time, the ruling party in the state had opposed it.

The CPI(M) has criticized the decision to broadcast the controversial film “The Kerala Story” on the Kerala Story Doordarshan channel. The party’s state secretariat had raised objections, stating that such a move could escalate communal tensions in Kerala, especially with the Lok Sabha elections nearing. They also accused the BJP of attempting to use the film as a political tool, given the party’s inability to gain traction in Kerala’s society. The CPI(M) stated that this decision is detrimental to Kerala. Even when the film was released earlier, it faced heavy opposition in Kerala. The censor board had removed 10 scenes from the film.

The Kerala High Court had earlier refused to stay the release, stating that there was no clear evidence of any objectionable content in the film’s trailer. The court stated that the censor board had scrutinized the film and found it suitable for public release.

However, objections were raised against the film’s trailer, and the court had to intervene to prevent the film’s release. The court noted that the film was made with a biased agenda and aimed to incite hatred and create tension in India and around the world.

When the film was released in 2023, both the CPI(M) and Congress heavily opposed it. Subsequently, the BJP accused the state’s theatres of banning the film.

Opposition to “The Kerala Story”

The Chief Minister of Kerala, Vijay, has stated that the film’s release is an attempt by the Sangh Parivar (a group of Hindu nationalist organizations) to engage in politics through movies and narratives, spreading misinformation without any factual basis. The biggest falsehood, according to him, is associating the religious conversion of 32,000 women to ISIS as the result of communal harmony initiatives in Kerala. The Sangh Parivar is accused of trying to undermine the atmosphere of religious harmony in Kerala by spreading communalism.

Why the Opposition to “The Kerala Story”?

The film “The Kerala Story” has faced criticism for its portrayal of girls from various communities converting to Islam and joining ISIS. The movie is based on the lives of four girls and depicts how they get involved with terrorist organizations while pursuing college education.