The Kerala Story

Last updated

The Kerala Story
The Kerala Story poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySudipto Sen
Written by
Produced byVipul Amrutlal Shah
Starring
CinematographyPrasantanu Mohapatra
Edited bySanjay Sharma
Music by
  • Viresh Sreevalsa
  • Bishakh Jyoti
Production
company
Sunshine Pictures [1]
Release date
  • 5 May 2023 (2023-05-05)
Running time
138 minutes [2]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹15–20 crore [3]
Box officeest.₹303.97 crore [4]

The Kerala Story is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah. [1] It stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, and Siddhi Idnani. The plot follows a group of women from Kerala who are coerced into converting to Islam and joining the Islamic State . [5] [6] Marketed as a true story, the film is premised on the Hindutva conspiracy theory of "love jihad", [7] and falsely claims that thousands of Hindu women from Kerala have been converted to Islam and recruited in the Islamic State. [8] [9]

Contents

The Kerala Story was released in theatres on 5 May 2023. With a worldwide gross of ₹303.97 crore (US$38 million), it became the ninth-highest-grossing Hindi film of 2023. [10] [11] It was heavily promoted by the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leveraged the film in its campaigning for the Karnataka assembly election. [12] [13] However, film critics accorded it overwhelmingly negative reviews, characterizing the work as Islamophobic propaganda. [14] [15] [6] The film has also faced protracted litigation and protests, primarily in Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

Plot

Shalini Unnikrishnan, a woman who converted to Islam, shares her journey of aspiring to become a nurse, only to be coerced by extremist Muslims in her college who posed as friends. She was eventually manipulated into joining the Islamic State and ended up imprisoned in Afghanistan.

Cast

Production and release

The film was produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, who is also the creative director of the film. [1] It was released in theatres on 5 May 2023. [16] The digital streaming rights of the film was purchased by ZEE5. [17] The film premiered on ZEE5 from 16 February 2024. [18] [19] Prior to its domestic release, the film went through CBFC scrutiny and received an adults only classification following a number of requested changes. [20]

Premise and factual accuracy

The teaser released on 3 November 2022, [21] featuring the character of Fathima Ba, a Hindu Malayali nurse who had converted to Islam and joined the Islamic State, before ending up in an Afghan jail. [22] She claimed to be one of 32,000 girls from the Hindu and Christian communities, who are missing from Kerala and have been recruited into the Islamic State after being converted to Islam. [8] Sen, the director of the film, has made such claims for years. [22] [8] In 2018, he had directed a documentary on what he claimed to be the involuntary mass-conversion of 32,000 Hindu and Christian girls to Islam as part of an "international conspiracy" to render Kerala an Islamic state. [23] [24] [25]

While the events portrayed in the film are loosely based on the accounts of three women from Kerala, namely: Nimisha Nair, Sonia Sebastian, and Merin Jacob, who converted to Islam and traveled with their respective husbands to Afghanistan to join the Islamic State between 2016 and 2018, the claimed figures in the film are wildly inaccurate, being based on mistranslations, misquotes, and misrepresentations of unrelated statistics. [26] [27] [8] No more than 100-200 Indians have joined the group from the entire country, with people from Kerala accounting for less than a quarter of them. [8] The figures posited in the film also exceed the entire strength of the Islamic State. [28]

Later, in response to litigation, the film-makers removed all promotional materials, including the teaser, that had the erroneous figure. [29] However, the film repeated the claims multiple times and once raised it even higher to 50,000. [30] In response to further litigation, Sen admitted to all figures in the film being inauthentic, and that the film was a "fictionalized" portrayal of real-life events. [31]

Response

Promotion by ruling party

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its associated organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have supported the film; the party used it for their political messaging in the campaigning for Karnataka assembly elections. [28] [32] Prime Minister Narendra Modi endorsed the film at an election rally in Karnataka, claimed that it had unearthed a "conspiracy", and alleged the Indian National Congress — which opposed the film — to support terrorism. [32] [33] BJP President J. P. Nadda held special screenings of the film and invited "young [Hindu] girls" to watch it with them. [32] The film was made tax free in Madhya Pradesh as well as Uttar Pradesh; both the states have BJP governments. [34] Organiser , the official mouthpiece of RSS, described the film as a "dangerous truth". [28]

Political opposition

In Kerala, both the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Indian National Congress, the only two parties to have governed the state since Independence, have objected to the film for spreading "communal misinformation" in tune with the agenda of the Sangh Parivar. [22] [35] [36] In Tamil Nadu, protests were held by Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) and multiple Muslim political organizations. [14]

Public protests

The film has attracted public protests in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. [33] [37] It fared poorly in Tamil Nadu, apparently forcing the Tamil Nadu Multiplex Association to stop further screenings; however, the filmmakers dispute the claims and allege political censorship. [14] The film had a similar fate in Kerala. [37]

Bans and litigation

On the eve of release, several petitions were filed at the Madras High Court, Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court of India, calling for a ban on grounds of promoting communal disharmony. [38] The petitions were either declined to be heard or dismissed by the courts; [39] however, the film-makers were asked to remove all promotional materials, including the teaser, that claimed thirty two thousand girls to have converted to Islam and joined the Islamic State in real life. [29]

On 8 May, the Government of West Bengal banned the movie, characterizing the film as "hate speech", and citing adverse intelligence reports that had reported increased communal tensions in the audience. [40] The filmmakers challenged the decision in the Supreme Court and the ban was stayed. [41] However, the filmmakers had to accept the addition of two disclaimers — that the figures in the film were inauthentic, and that the film was a "fictionalized" portrayal of real-life events. [31]

Reception

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 14% of 7 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.5/10. [42]

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated the film 0.5 out of 5 stars, calling it a "lengthy WhatsApp forward", and writing that Sen's work was laughably inept and in pursuance of an insidious agenda. [43] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave the film 1 out of 5 stars, characterizing it as a "poorly-made, poorly-acted rant" that flattened Muslims into absolute evils. [44] Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in found the raison d'être of the film to lie in propagating Islamophobia, with every Muslim character being coded as a fanatic. [45] Anuj Kumar of The Hindu described the work as "burlesque" propaganda that borrowed its understanding of Islam, from "hate-filled Whatsapp groups" and sought to turn the audience into purveyors of hate by peddling "half-truths". [46]

Deepanjana Pal, reviewing for Film Companion , commented that the film was a "Giant Whatsapp forward" that could be hardly called a film, critiquing it for being political propaganda aimed at demonizing Keralite Muslims and tapping into contemporary Hindu nationalist anxieties; Sen was "glaringly inept" in tackling the causes of radicalization with sensitivity and merely preyed upon the grief of real survivors and victims. [47] Sowmya Rajendran, reviewing for The News Minute, rated the film 1 star out of 5 star; she panned the film as "no-nuance propaganda" where women were treated as objects who were to be fought for between religions and ideologies by men. [30] [48] [49] [50] [51] [52]

Box office

On its opening day, the film grossed ₹8.03 crore in India, [53] making it the fifth highest opener in India for 2023. [54] As of 15 June 2023, the film has grossed ₹288.04 crore (US$36 million) in India and ₹15.64 crore (US$2.0 million) overseas for a worldwide gross collection of ₹303.97 crore (US$38 million), becoming the seventh-highest grossing Hindi film of 2023. [4] The film performed well in northern India but underperformed in the south. [37]

Music

The music of the film is composed by Viresh Sreevalsa and Bishakh Jyoti.

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Pagal Parindey"Ozil Dalal Sunidhi Chauhan, Bishakh Jyoti2:04
2."Ambo Ambambo"Viresh SreevalsaAthul Narukara1:52
3."Athira Ravil"Viresh Sreevalsa K. S. Chithra 2:07
4."Tu Mila"Ozil DalalK. S. Chithra2:07
5."Aakhir Kyun"Anant, Porshia (Kurdish), Mahalakshmi IyerBishakh Jyoti5:01
6."Aakhir Kyun Unplugged"AnantBishakh Jyoti5:08

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajinikanth</span> Indian actor (born 1950)

Shivaji Rao Gaikwad, known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor who works mainly in Tamil cinema. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 169 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, and Malayalam. He is widely regarded to be one of the most successful and popular actors in the history of Indian cinema. Known for his uniquely styled lines and idiosyncrasies in films, he has a huge fan base internationally and has a cult following. The Government of India honoured him with Padma Bhushan in 2000, Padma Vibhushan in 2016, India's third and second highest civilian honours, and highest award in the field of cinema Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2019 for his contributions to Indian cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South India</span> Region in India

South India, also known as Peninsular India, is the southern part of the peninsular Deccan Plateau in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area and 20% of India's population. It is bound by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west and the Indian Ocean in the south. The geography of the region is diverse, with two mountain ranges, the Western and Eastern Ghats, bordering the plateau heartland. The Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Tungabhadra and Vaigai rivers are important non-perennial sources of water. Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Kochi are the largest urban areas in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayesha Takia</span> Indian actress (born 1986)

Ayesha Azmi, is an Indian former actress and model who worked predominantly in Hindi films. Takia made her debut in 2004 with the action thriller Taarzan: The Wonder Car for which she won the Filmfare Best Debut Award and IIFA Award Star Debut of the Year Female. She then subsequently appeared in several successful films including Socha Na Tha (2005), Salaam-E-Ishq (2007), Wanted (2009), and Paathshaala (2010). She is the recipient of the Bengal Film Journalists' Association awards and Screen Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prithviraj Sukumaran</span> Indian actor, film director, producer (born 1982)

Prithviraj Sukumaran is an Indian actor, director, producer and playback singer primarily working in Malayalam language films. He has also done Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films. He acted in more than 100 films in a variety of roles and has received several awards including a National Film Award, three Kerala State Film Awards, a Tamil Nadu State Film Award and a South Filmfare Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamil cinema</span> Indian Tamil-language film industry

Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language widely spoken in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam, a neighbourhood in Chennai, and Hollywood. The first Tamil silent film, Keechaka Vadham, was directed by R. Nataraja Mudaliar in 1918. The first Tamil talking feature film, Kalidas, a multilingual directed by H. M. Reddy was released on 31 October 1931, less than seven months after India's first talking motion picture Alam Ara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajinikanth filmography</span>

Indian actor Rajinikanth has appeared in 170 films, predominantly in Tamil cinema. He began his film career by playing antagonistic and supporting roles before graduating to a lead actor. After starring in numerous commercially successful films throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he has continued to hold a matinée idol status in the popular culture of Tamil Nadu. Writing for Slate, Grady Hendrix called him the "biggest movie star you've probably never heard of." Rajinikanth has also worked in other Indian film industries such as Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Bengali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social Democratic Party of India</span> Indian political party

Social Democratic Party of India, popularly known as SDPI, is an Indian political party which was founded on 21 June 2009 in New Delhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adah Sharma</span> Indian actress (born 1992)

Adah Sharma is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Hindi and Telugu cinema. Sharma, after finishing her schooling, made her acting debut with a leading role in the 2008 Hindi horror film, 1920, a box office success. Her portrayal of a possessed woman in the film was critically praised and earned her a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut nomination. After the release of her romantic comedy film, Hasee Toh Phasee (2014), she ventured into the South Indian film industry, playing the leading lady in the Telugu film, Heart Attack (2014). Her other major Telugu films include, S/O Satyamurthy (2015) and Kshanam (2016). She also starred as the lead actress in The Kerala Story (2023).

Meera Vasudevan is an Indian actress, who has mainly appeared in films and TV soap's in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi and Telugu language. She received the Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize in 2005 and the Kerala State Television Award for Best Actress in 2007. Currently she is playing a main lead role in the popular Malayalam soap opera Kudumbavilakku telecasting on Asianet.

<i>Vishwaroopam</i> 2013 film directed by Kamal Haasan

Vishwaroopam is a 2013 Indian action spy film co-written, directed and produced by Kamal Haasan, who also enacts the lead role. The film also stars Rahul Bose, Shekhar Kapur, Pooja Kumar, Andrea Jeremiah, Nassar and Jaideep Ahlawat in supporting roles. The film's script was written by Kamal Hassan, Chakri Toleti and Atul Tiwari. In the film, Nirupama, an ambitious woman studying in the US, marries a coward classical dancer, Viswanathan. On being suspicious of his behaviour, she hires a detective, who reveals his true identity and past.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pooja Hegde</span> Indian actress (born 1990)

Pooja Hegde is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil films. She began her career as a model and was crowned as the second runner-up at the 2010 I Am She–Miss Universe India pageant. She made her acting debut with the Tamil film Mugamoodi (2012) and had her first Telugu release in Oka Laila Kosam (2014). Hegde has established herself as one of the leading actresses in Telugu cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyca Productions</span> Indian film studio founded in 2014

Lyca Productions is an Indian entertainment company, which was established by Subaskaran Allirajah in 2014. A subgroup of Lycamobile, the production studio has been involved in the production and distribution of Tamil films and Hindi films made in India. It has produced some of Tamil cinema's biggest budget films, such as 2.0 (2018), Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022) and Ponniyin Selvan: II (2023)

<i>KGF: Chapter 2</i> 2022 Indian period action film

KGF: Chapter 2 is a 2022 Indian Kannada-language period action film written and directed by Prashanth Neel, and produced by Vijay Kiragandur under the banner Hombale Films. The second installment in a three-part series, it serves as a sequel to the 2018 film KGF: Chapter 1. The film stars an ensemble cast of Yash, Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Srinidhi Shetty, Prakash Raj, Achyuth Kumar, Rao Ramesh, Vasishta N. Simha, Ayyappa P. Sharma, Archana Jois, Saran Shakti, Easwari Rao, John Kokken, T.S Nagabharana and Malavika Avinash.

<i>The Kashmir Files</i> 2022 Hindi film by Vivek Agnihotri

The Kashmir Files is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language drama film written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri. The film presents a fictional storyline centred around the 1990 exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Indian-administered Kashmir. It depicts the exodus and the events leading up to it as a genocide, a framing considered inaccurate by scholars. The film claims that such facts were suppressed by a conspiracy of silence.

<i>Jawan</i> (film) 2023 Indian Hindi action thriller film by Atlee

Jawan ( transl. Soldier) is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film co-written and directed by Atlee in his Hindi film debut. It is produced by Gauri Khan and Gaurav Verma under Red Chillies Entertainment. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan in a dual role as father and son who team up to rectify corruption in society. Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, Deepika Padukone, Priyamani and Sanya Malhotra appear in supporting roles.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "'The Kerala Story', starring Adah Sharma, gets release date". The Hindu. PTI. 24 April 2023. ISSN   0971-751X. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  2. ↑ "Change City". m.inoxmovies.com. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  3. ↑ "'Will rock box office': The Kerala Story destined to earn Rs 100 crore despite Bengal ban". Business Today (in Hindi). 10 May 2023. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  4. 1 2 "The Kerala Story Box office collection". Bollywood Hungama . 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  5. ↑ "Dozens held in India after Islamic State film row". BBC News. 16 May 2023. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  6. 1 2 "How a Low-Budget Hindi Film Ignited Deadly Religious Tension". Time. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  7. ↑ "Kerala Story: Film on alleged Indian ISIL recruits gets pushback". Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "'32000 Kerala women in ISIS': Misquotes, flawed math, imaginary figures behind filmmaker's claim". Alt News. 8 November 2022. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  9. ↑ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (9 November 2022). "Indian police investigating film that portrays Kerala as Islamic terrorism hub". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  10. ↑ "Bollywood Top Grossers Worldwide: 2023". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  11. ↑ Hungama, Bollywood (8 January 2024). "From Jawan's Rs. 600+ crores to 21 films earning in Rs. 0-1 crore range, here are the MOST DEFINITIVE box office RECORDS of 2023". Bollywood Hungama . Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  12. ↑ "'The Kerala Story' takes centre stage as other issues pushed to back-burner in Karnataka polls". English.Mathrubhumi. 10 May 2023. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  13. ↑ "PM invokes 'The Kerala Story' to slam Congress in Karnataka rally". The Times of India. 6 May 2023. ISSN   0971-8257. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  14. 1 2 3 Bureau, The Hindu (7 May 2023). "The Kerala Story pulled out of multiplexes in Tamil Nadu". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  15. ↑ "The Kerala Story: Why an Indian film on Islamic State is so controversial". BBC News. 10 May 2023. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  16. ↑ "Controversial film The Kerala Story to be released on May 5, trailer out". The News Minute. 26 April 2023. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  17. ↑ "The Kerala Story OTT Rights Bought By This Leading Platform, Tentative Release Date Out". English Jagran. 8 May 2023. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  18. ↑ "Adah Sharma's The Kerala Story to stream on OTT from this date". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  19. ↑ "The Kerala Story OTT Rights Bought By This Leading Platform, Tentative Release Date Out". IndiaToday. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  20. ↑ "Censor Board gives The Kerala Story 'A' certificate, removes 10 scenes, including interview with ex-CM". India Today . Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  21. ↑ "The Kerala Story teaser out". Cinema Express . 3 November 2022. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  22. 1 2 3 "The Kerala Story: Film on India women in Islamic State sparks row". BBC News. 10 November 2022. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  23. ↑ Athimuthu, Soundarya (12 November 2022). "Who Made 'The Kerala Story' & Why Were They Embroiled in Controversies Before?". TheQuint. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  24. ↑ Sharma, Kritika (30 April 2018). "I was trying to bust 'love jihad' theory, says film-maker at centre of JNU screening row". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  25. ↑ "Film not on 'love jihad', says director". The Times of India. 1 May 2018. Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  26. ↑ "How accurate are the claims made by 'The Kerala Story'?". 2 May 2023. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  27. ↑ Khan, Fatima (9 September 2021). "Taliban back, desperate Kerala families hope couples who fled to Afghanistan for ISIS can return". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  28. 1 2 3 Jha, Prem Shankar (8 May 2023). "Modi's Backing of Inflammatory, Fictional 'Kerala Story' Highlights Pressing Need for Opposition Unity". The Wire. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  29. 1 2 "The Kerala Story producer agrees to remove '32,000 women converted' from teaser". India Today. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  30. 1 2 Rajendran, Sowmya (5 May 2023). "The Kerala Story review: A no-nuance propaganda film that thrives on shock value". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  31. 1 2 "Supreme Court stays West Bengal govt order banning film 'The Kerala Story'". The Indian Express. 18 May 2023. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  32. 1 2 3 "PM Modi to JP Nadda, BJP leaders promote The Kerala Story amid Karnataka polls". The News Minute . 8 May 2023. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  33. 1 2 "As Producers Withdraw Misleading Claim, Modi Says 'Kerala Story' Exposes 'Ugly Truth' of Terrorism". The Wire. 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  34. ↑ "The Kerala Story: Dozens held in Maharashtra after Islamic State film row". BBC News. 16 May 2023. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  35. ↑ "'The Kerala Story' in the dock". Deccan Herald. 9 November 2022. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  36. ↑ "Cong, DYFI, IUML youth wing demand ban on screening of 'The Kerala Story'". The Indian Express. 28 April 2023. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  37. 1 2 3 Sasikumar, Meenakshy (8 May 2023). "Why Is 'The Kerala Story' Facing Pushback in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, & West Bengal?". TheQuint. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  38. ↑ ""There are umpteen movies depicting Hindu sanyasis as rapists": Kerala High Court refuses to stay release of The Kerala Story". 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  39. ↑ "Kerala High Court refuses to stay screening of 'The Kerala Story'". The Indian Express. 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  40. ↑ Team, N. L. (17 May 2023). "'Contains hate speech, manipulated facts': Bengal govt defends ban on Kerala Story". Newslaundry. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  41. ↑ "Supreme Court stays West Bengal govt order banning film 'The Kerala Story'". The Indian Express. 18 May 2023. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  42. ↑ "The Kerela story". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  43. ↑ Chatterjee, Saibal (5 May 2023). "The Kerala Story Review: The Writing Is Consistently Cringeworthy, The Acting Is No Better". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  44. ↑ Gupta, Shubhra (5 May 2023). "The Kerala Story movie review: A poorly-made, poorly-acted rant". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  45. ↑ Ramnath, Nandini (5 May 2023). "'The Kerala Story' review: All about Islamophobia". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  46. ↑ Kumar, Anuj (5 May 2023). "'The Kerala Story' movie review: Adah Sharma's performance marred by half-truths and an emotionally exploitative gaze". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  47. ↑ Pal, Deepanjana (5 May 2023). "The Kerala Story Movie Review: If WhatsApp Forwards Could Be a Film, This Would Be It". Film Companion . Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  48. ↑ "The Kerala Story Movie Review: A serious issue lost to bad direction, worse writing". India Today. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  49. ↑ Gahlot, Deepa. "The Kerala Story Review: Distorted". Rediff. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  50. ↑ Mishra, Pratikshya (5 May 2023). "'The Kerala Story' Review: Some Storytelling Is Irresponsible at Best". TheQuint. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  51. ↑ "'The Kerala Story' review: A chalice filled with anti-Muslim venom". The Week. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  52. ↑ Prateek Sur (12 May 2023). "'The Kerala Story' Movie Review: Adah Sharma's Film Is A Fantastic Guide On What Not To Do When Someone's Brainwashing You". Outlook . Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  53. ↑ Tuteja, Joginder (6 May 2023). "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Box Office: Survives steep competition from Bollywood's The Kerala Story on Day 1". Bollywood Hungama . Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  54. ↑ Entertainment Desk (6 May 2023). "The Kerala Story box office collection Day 1: Sudipto Sen's film gets better opening than Selfiee, Shehzada, Kashmir Files; earns Rs 8.03 cr". The Indian Express . Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.