'The Kerala Story' director Sudipto Sen has maintained that his film, which is all set to hit theatres on May 5, does not make any statement that is derogatory to Kerala.
The director's reaffirmation comes at a time when opposition to the film from several politicians, writers and cultural leaders has been growing. Detractors allege the movie claims falsely that thousands of women from Kerala are being converted to Islam forcibly and recruited to IS.
According to Sen, the film does not portray any religion in a bad light, nor does it mention 'Love Jihad'. He maintained that 'The Kerala Story' has only criticised the terrorism angle, showing how girls are being trapped and cheated in the name of love. He refuted the allegations that the makers have received aid from the Central government and the BJP to produce the movie.
Sticking to his claim, Sen said 32,000 women from Kerala were recruited to the IS, adding that several girls have left the country from the state for religious conversion.
Sen, who also has directed 'The Monk', said he and his team spent seven years researching facts for the movie and claimed the Censor Board gave its final nod only after analysing the movie for two months.
