Thiruvananthapuram: Amid the controversy surrounding the upcoming film "The Kerala Story", the youth wing of a leading state party and two individuals separately promised cash awards for those who prove its storyline correct and provide facts.
The film starring Adah Sharma is slated to release on May 5.
According to its trailer, the film depicts hundreds of girls - mainly Hindu girls who were allegedly brainwashed, converted and recruited to Islamic State and taken to places like Afghanistan and Syria. As per the trailer, as many as 32,000 Hindu girls were converted and taken to the IS dens.
P.K. Firoz, chief of the Muslim Youth League, the youth wing of IUML, the second-largest member of the Congress-led UDF, said they will give Rs 1 crore if those who made the film prove the storyline to be actually correct.
The second announcement came from a blogger, K. Nazeer Hussain.
He said that he would "give Rs 10 lakh to anyone who can produce evidence that women were converted and forced to join the Islamic State".
Lawyer, and also an actor, Shukkur, wrote on Facebook that he would also give "Rs 11 lakh to anyone who will name the Kerala women who were converted, and then joined the Islamic State".
As soon as the teaser of the film was released, the ruling CPI-M-led Left and the UDF demanded that the film should not be screened. Kerala Culture Minister, Saji Cherian said "if 'The Kerala Story' is screened, people should boycott it".
He also said that legal action would be taken.
The film is directed by Sudipto Sen. It traces the journey of four female college students in Kerala who become part of Islamic State.
The film also stars Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani, and Sonia Balani. It is produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed "The Kerala Story", which is based on alleged "Love Jihad", terming it part of "Sangh Parivar propaganda" aimed at political gains.
Vijayan, in a Facebook post on Sunday, said that the movie was created to demonise Kerala and to communally divide the state.
"From the trailer of the movie, it can be gathered that the movie has taken up the Sangh Parivar propaganda that positions an uncompromisingly secular land like Kerala as a hot bed of terrorists," he wrote.
He said that propaganda films and the "othering" of Muslims in such movies should be seen in the context of the various attempts being made by Sangh Parivar to squeeze out some political gains in Kerala.
Vijayan said:
"The central theme of the movie, Love Jihad is a conspiracy which has been rejected by the investigating agencies, the court and even the Union Home Ministry." "The then Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy had informed Parliament that there was no 'love jihad'. Kishan Reddy is still a Union Minister. Even then if they have made 'love jihad' the central theme of the movie, it betrays the Sangh Parivar's desperation to show Kerala in a poor light in front of the world."
"The central theme of the movie, Love Jihad is a conspiracy which has been rejected by the investigating agencies, the court and even the Union Home Ministry."
"The then Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy had informed Parliament that there was no 'love jihad'. Kishan Reddy is still a Union Minister. Even then if they have made 'love jihad' the central theme of the movie, it betrays the Sangh Parivar's desperation to show Kerala in a poor light in front of the world."
He said that there was a reason for using propaganda films as "The Parivar's political designs have not worked in Kerala as it has in other parts of the country. That is why they are trying to get their agenda of divisive policies into Kerala through fake narratives".
Vijayan said that freedom of expression was not a license to propagate lies, communalise a land, and divide its people.
Actress Adah Sharma has shared that her upcoming film 'The Kerala Story' has not shown Kerala in a "derogatory light".
Adah took to Twitter, where she shared a selfie of herself in a pink saree with gajra in her hair.
She said:
"Many senior persons in high posts have commented on #TheKeralaStory after watching the 2 minute trailer." "My parents have always asked me to respect my elders so with due respect to all of them i hope they can take 2 hrs out of their busy schedule and watch the movie. I'm sure they will see that we haven't shown Kerala in any derogatory light. Jai hind."
"Many senior persons in high posts have commented on #TheKeralaStory after watching the 2 minute trailer."
"My parents have always asked me to respect my elders so with due respect to all of them i hope they can take 2 hrs out of their busy schedule and watch the movie. I'm sure they will see that we haven't shown Kerala in any derogatory light. Jai hind."
In 'The Kerala Story', actress Adah Sharma is playing the role of Fathima Ba, a Hindu Malayali nurse, who is among the 32,000 women who as per the film went missing from Kerala and were then recruited to the ISIS of Iraq and Syria after being forced to convert to Islam.
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