Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has condemned national broadcaster Doordarshan's plan to screen the controversial Hindi movie 'The Kerala Story'.
Vijayan issued a strongly-worded social media post a few hours after Doordarshan listed the movie for 8 pm on April 5 (Friday) on DD National. In a promotional post, Doordarshan wrote: "The story of Kerala which shocked the whole world."
"The decision by DD National to broadcast the film 'Kerala Story', which incites polarisation, is highly condemnable," Vijayan wrote in response. He urged Doordarshan to withdraw from screening the film "that only seeks to exacerbate communal tensions ahead of the general elections".
Kerala's opposition front UDF moved the Election Commission against the DD telecast of the movie, Manorama News reported.
"The decision to telecast #KeralaStory by DD National is a direct insult to the people of #Kerala. Kerala story is a byproduct of the poisonous Sangh Parivar mind. #Congress and #UDF will approach the #EC to stop the telecast as it is a blatant violation of the code of conduct," Opposition leader V D Satheesan posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The film directed by Sudipto Sen is a fictional account of a group of women from Kerala claiming to have been coerced into converting to Islam to join the Islamic State. The film was released in May 2023 and faced widespread protests and litigation in several states including Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The CPM-led Left government in Kerala released advertisements to counter the 'propaganda film'. It used the tagline: 'The Real Kerala Story'. "Kerala weaves a tale of social harmony and progressive values. Embracing social justice, we drive inclusive development that empowers all," the government advertisement said.
A petition was filed in the Supreme Court by the filmmakers alleging a shadow ban on the film in Tamil Nadu. The government of the state in its response said theatres stopped screening the movie 'due to poor performances'.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi too had wiehged in on the controversy over the film by claiming it 'showed the ugly truth about terrorism'.
At an election rally Ballari in Karnataka, in May 2023, the PM the film was 'based on a terror conspiracy'. "It shows the ugly truth of terrorism and exposes terrorists' design. Congress is opposing the film made on terrorism and standing with terror tendencies. Congress has shielded terrorism for the vote bank," he said.
Vijayan in his latest post said the "national news broadcaster should not become a propaganda machine of the BJP-RSS combine". He reiterated that "Kerala will remain steadfast in opposing such malicious attempts to sow hatred".
