‘The Kerala Story’ ban in West Bengal: What we know so far

‘The Kerala Story’ has left the country divided. The controversial film that shows women from the state joining ISIS has led to a political fight over the last few days. While some have lent their support to the movie amid its stellar Box Office run, others such as the West Bengal government have banned it. In fact, Bengal became the first state in the country to withdraw ‘The Kerala Story’ from theatres leading to the ongoing debate surrounding politics over a movie. Here’s a quick rundown of what we know so far.

Vipul Shah reacts to death threats and 'The Kerala Story' ban

On May 8, Mamata Banerjee’s government imposed a ban on The Kerala Story across Bengal, arguing that it might create unrest. Bengal became the first state to ban the film. The West Bengal government’s order to withdraw the movie stated, “To avoid any incident of hatred and violence and to maintain peace in the state, the chief minister has directed an immediate ban on screening of The Kerala Story. Action will be taken against any cinema hall that violates the ban.” Mamata Banerjee also alleged that ‘The Kerala Story’ is a distorted movie aimed at defaming the southern state.

The sudden ban came as a big surprise not only for the makers of ‘The Kerala Story’ but also for people who were planning to watch it or already have seen it. The controversial film was running across 94 halls across Bengal, some to packed houses even. According to reports, the theatre owners also have said that there had been no trouble or hint of unrest so far. Since its release on May 5, ‘The Kerala Story’ reportedly minted approximately Rs 1.5 crore till May 7 all over Bengal and the numbers were quite impressive considering its box office numbers across the country. On Sunday night, many people thronged to the theatres in Kolkata to watch the film. Industry experts believe that the controversy gave word-of-mouth publicity to the Sudipto Sen-directed film.

It all started when a massive controversy erupted after ‘The Kerala Story’ trailer claimed that 32,000 women from Kerala had gone missing and they have been forced to join the terrorist group ISIS. However, after facing constant protests, the contentious figure in the trailer was withdrawn by the makers. The trailer description was then changed to a story of three women from Kerala. However, it didn’t stop the controversy and the film faced mixed response since its release on May 5.

Sudipto Sen strongly reacted to West Bengal Chief Minister’s decision to impose a ban on his film in the state. He was quoted as saying by ANI, “It is really unfortunate. Didi, without watching the film, how could she decide that it is a threat to law and order? Kolkata has gone and watched the film with wholeheartedness. The first four days have been packed houses, my film has been announced as an unprecedented blockbuster. Kolkata has seen the film with their heart. Not a single untoward incident has happened. Nobody reported any kind of agitation in front of cinema halls.” He further added that the film was running peacefully in and around Kolkata for four days. An emotional Sudipto even said that Bengal has blessed him because at the end of the day he’s a Bengali. The filmmaker requested the West Bengal CM to watch the film and decide if this film may pose any law and order issue.

‘The Kerala Story’ producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah had previously questioned the West Bengal ban on the film despite it being cleared for release by the Central Board of Film Certification. Amid the controversy, the Supreme Court has now agreed to hear a plea by the makers of the film against the ban imposed on it by Bengal government and the decision of the Tamil Nadu multiplex association to withdraw the film from its halls. The apex court will be hearing the petition on May 12.

The Producers Guild of India has released an official statement stating that they strongly object to the state-enforced bans on ‘The Kerala Story’. "The Producers Guild of India is distressed by, and would like to record its strong objection to, state-enforced bans on The Kerala Story," the statement read. The Producers Guild also said that they have time and again insisted that film releases have to be regulated by CBFC and any film that complies with statutory requirements can’t face any further hurdles and let the public decide its fate.

While the West Bengal government justified the ban on ‘The Kerala Story’ saying that this film might create division in the society with a ‘distorted story’, acclaimed filmmaker Aniket Chattopadhyay has question the ban. He asked that in this digital era and the OTT boom is it really possible to stop public from seeing a film. Aniket questions, “It will soon release on OTT? How will the Bengal government stop it then?” Instead, he prefers to select an alternative way to counter a film, “If you want to protest ‘The Kerala Story’ then hit it hard with a counter narrative and make a film. Make films like Gandhi Files, Savarkar Files or Godhra files. That will be more justified.”

National Award-winning director Goutam Ghose who has been in the CBFC once feels that in this era of digitalization you can’t stop of a film from getting released. If you ban the theatrical release the film will come out on OTT. “Interestingly there’s hardly any censorship on OTT. So how will you stop a film then? I think in our country the central government and the states have so many differences in various issues. To solve this problem we need to unite and take a stand.