The Kerala Story: Controversial Film Sparks Debate Ahead of Television Premiere

The highly contentious film, “The Kerala Story,” featuring Adah Sharma, has proven to be a box office success, raking in approximately 240 crores nett. Despite initial reluctance from OTT platforms to secure digital rights, the movie recently made its debut on the ZEE5 platform, garnering significant viewership.

Tonight, the film is set to make its television premiere on the Doordarshan channel at 8 PM. However, this decision has drawn criticism from the Kerala state government, notably from Chief Minister Pinrayi Vijayan. In a tweet, he condemned Doordarshan’s move, accusing the national broadcaster of potentially exacerbating communal tensions by airing a film purportedly linked to the BJP-RSS combine.

“The Kerala Story” is purportedly based on real-life events depicting the forceful conversion of thousands of Hindu women to Islam, allegedly involving the ISIS. The Kerala government previously made efforts to halt the film’s theatrical release. Alongside Adah Sharma, the film features Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, Siddhi Idnani, Devadarshini, and Vijay Krishna in pivotal roles. Sudipto Sen helmed the film as its writer and director, while Vipul Amrutlal Shah served as its producer.