'Kerala Story' an RSS propaganda to show state as hotbed of religious extremism: CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday strongly reacted against the upcoming film "The Kerala Story", calling it a "Sangh Parivar propaganda movie".

He slammed the false allegations shown in the film regarding love jihad and the bid to divide people in the name of religion by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Taking to Facebook, the Chief Minister wrote, "From the trailer of the movie, it is evident that the movie has adopted the Sangh Parivar propaganda that portrays an unwaveringly secular state like Kerala as a hotbed of religious extremism".

Also read: 'The Kerala Story' propaganda: Here's what Adah Sharma says about film

According to the Chief Minister, "These propaganda films and the othering of Muslims in these films should be seen in the context of the various attempts being made by Sangh Parivar to squeeze out some political gains in Kerala." 

The movie is promoted as the account of hundreds of Hindu women from Kerala who were recruited by IS, brainwashed, converted, and sent to countries like Afghanistan and Syria where IS claims to be waging a holy war. According to reports, the movie claims the highly questionable and unsubstantiated assertion that more than 32,000 Malayali girls joined the terrorist organization ISIS

This movie raises the bar for the as-yet unproven phenomenon known as "love jihad." "To make 'love jihad', an idea that was rejected by investigating agencies, courts, and even the Union Ministry of Home Affairs,' the primary focus of the film smells of a conspiracy," said the Chief Minister. 

Pinarayi Vijayan asserted, "The then Union minister of state for home, G Kishan Reddy, had told the Parliament that there was no such thing called 'love jihad'. Kishan Reddy is still a union minister. However, this false accusation is used as the film's main plot device only out of a desire to defame Kerala in front of the world. The Sangh Parivar is attempting to plant communalism's deadly seeds while destroying Kerala's climate of religious peace."

He continued, "Because parivar politics in other places do not work in Kerala, they are attempting to amplify them through a film based on false narratives. Such misconceptions are being pushed by the Sangh Parivar without any backing from facts or proof."

Lastly, the Chief Minister added, "Freedom of speech does not give you the right to categorize our nation, propagate misinformation, or drive a wedge between its citizens. The Malayalis are urged to completely reject any communal and sectarian initiatives. Everyone should be on alert for attempts by the community to incite social discontent through deceptive propaganda. Legal action will be taken against anti-social activities."

The trailer for Sudipto Sen's film 'The Kerala Story' was released on April 26th, 2023. The film is based on narratives of Hindu and Christian females in Kerala who were lured into love jihad by Islamists in Kerala before being transferred to Iraq and Syria to become ISIS fighters. 

The film has Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani and Siddhi Idnani in the lead roles which is produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah. 

"The Kerala Story" will release on May 5, 2023, in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.