Express News Service
BENGALURU: Since its release on April 5, The Kerala Story, by former film critic-turned-filmmaker Sudipto Sen has set off a contentious debate about the plot and figures that it portrays as authentic. Marketed to be based on real-life events, the movie follows three women from Kerala who are forced to undergo religious conversion and sent to serve the terrorist group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The movie has been widely criticised on social media as mere propaganda and has been banned in West Bengal. At the same time, it has received tax-free status in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.City-based filmmaker KM Chaitanya is against any kind of censorship but says that a movie made solely to please the ‘current dispensation’ sets a very unhealthy precedent.
“While films have always had the possibility to be propaganda, that’s never the case with good movies. The good cinema will always lead to social change, but it is always positive – they inspire us to be better human beings. A prime example is the Kannada film Bangarada Manushya. It inspired a lot of highly educated graduates to go back to their villages and take up farming,” he says adding, “If a movie makes you want to hate a particular community or a fellow citizen, that’s not good cinema.”
Meanwhile, filmmaker Shruthi Raju believes that films that hope to tackle serious issues can often end up undermining those issues with bad treatment and a lack of research. “Social engineering is an unfortunate reality these days. It’s a very serious issue. However, I’m not sure of the process with which this movie was made – how authentic the events it claims to portray are,” she says.
Raju believes that filmmaking is a powerful medium that often reflects the social fabric. Hence, filmmakers should strive to be as authentic as possible while undertaking projects based on real events. “They should be thorough with their research and most importantly, they should not undermine their audience,” she adds.
Filmmaker and thespian Abhishek Iyengar believes the decision to ban the movie is immature and hypocritical since the film clearly says that it is a work of fiction. “Before the film begins, the disclaimer makes it clear that it is a work of fiction. In my view, no movie or work of art deserves to be banned solely because of a political viewpoint. It’s ironic that the same people who were critical of bans on Aamir Khan’s films a few years ago are calling for a ban on this film. Every filmmaker has the right to make films in their own way,” he adds.
Filmmaker Sumana Kittur believes that The Kerala Story is the latest movie in the widespread phenomenon towards historical revisionism that the country is witnessing across various mediums.
“Audiences should take a moment to think of the lies that are being pushed. When you claim that tens of thousands of women are being affected by a particular issue in the movie, but bring it down to less than 10 when questioned by the courts, you realise that the entire thing is based on lies and exaggeration,” she says adding that such narratives only serve to create a communally charged environment.
The controversial movie The Kerala Story has created a deep divide amongst audiences and political parties alike. City-based filmmakers weigh in on the debate and talk about the ethics and responsibilities involved in filmmaking
BENGALURU: Since its release on April 5, The Kerala Story, by former film critic-turned-filmmaker Sudipto Sen has set off a contentious debate about the plot and figures that it portrays as authentic. Marketed to be based on real-life events, the movie follows three women from Kerala who are forced to undergo religious conversion and sent to serve the terrorist group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The movie has been widely criticised on social media as mere propaganda and has been banned in West Bengal. At the same time, it has received tax-free status in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
City-based filmmaker KM Chaitanya is against any kind of censorship but says that a movie made solely to please the ‘current dispensation’ sets a very unhealthy precedent.
“While films have always had the possibility to be propaganda, that’s never the case with good movies. The good cinema will always lead to social change, but it is always positive – they inspire us to be better human beings. A prime example is the Kannada film Bangarada Manushya. It inspired a lot of highly educated graduates to go back to their villages and take up farming,” he says adding, “If a movie makes you want to hate a particular community or a fellow citizen, that’s not good cinema.”googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
Meanwhile, filmmaker Shruthi Raju believes that films that hope to tackle serious issues can often end up undermining those issues with bad treatment and a lack of research. “Social engineering is an unfortunate reality these days. It’s a very serious issue. However, I’m not sure of the process with which this movie was made – how authentic the events it claims to portray are,” she says.
Raju believes that filmmaking is a powerful medium that often reflects the social fabric. Hence, filmmakers should strive to be as authentic as possible while undertaking projects based on real events. “They should be thorough with their research and most importantly, they should not undermine their audience,” she adds.
Filmmaker and thespian Abhishek Iyengar believes the decision to ban the movie is immature and hypocritical since the film clearly says that it is a work of fiction. “Before the film begins, the disclaimer makes it clear that it is a work of fiction. In my view, no movie or work of art deserves to be banned solely because of a political viewpoint. It’s ironic that the same people who were critical of bans on Aamir Khan’s films a few years ago are calling for a ban on this film. Every filmmaker has the right to make films in their own way,” he adds.
Filmmaker Sumana Kittur believes that The Kerala Story is the latest movie in the widespread phenomenon towards historical revisionism that the country is witnessing across various mediums.
“Audiences should take a moment to think of the lies that are being pushed. When you claim that tens of thousands of women are being affected by a particular issue in the movie, but bring it down to less than 10 when questioned by the courts, you realise that the entire thing is based on lies and exaggeration,” she says adding that such narratives only serve to create a communally charged environment.
The controversial movie The Kerala Story has created a deep divide amongst audiences and political parties alike. City-based filmmakers weigh in on the debate and talk about the ethics and responsibilities involved in filmmaking
