The Kerala Story

2023 Indian Hindi language film

The Kerala Story

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Sudipto Sen
Written by|

* Suryapal Singh
* Sudipto Sen
* Vipul Amrutlal Shah

Produced by| Vipul Amrutlal Shah
Starring|

* Adah Sharma
* Yogita Bihani
* Sonia Balani
* Siddhi Idnani

Cinematography| Prasantanu Mohapatra
Edited by| Sanjay Sharma
Music by|

* Viresh Sreevalsa
* Bishakh Jyoti

Production
company

Sunshine Pictures[1]

Release date

* 5 May 2023 (2023-5-5)

Running time

| 138 minutes[2]
Country| India
Language| Hindi
Budget| ₹15–20 crore[3]
Box office| est. ₹303.97 crore[4]

The Kerala Story is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language drama film, claiming to be inspired from true events, directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah.[1] It stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, and Siddhi Idnani. The plot follows a group of women from Kerala who are coerced into converting to Islam and joining the Islamic State.[5][6] Marketed as a true story, the film is premised on the Hindutva conspiracy theory of "love jihad",[7] and claims that thousands of Hindu women from Kerala have been converted to Islam and recruited in the Islamic State.[8][9] However, the filmmakers had to accept the addition of two disclaimers — that the figures in the film were inauthentic, and that the film was a "fictionalised" depiction of their minds.[10]

The Kerala Story released in theatres on 5 May 2023. With a worldwide gross of ₹303.97 crore (US$35 million), it became the ninth-highest-grossing Hindi film of 2023.[11][12] It was heavily promoted by the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leveraged the film in its campaigning for the Karnataka assembly election.[13][14] However, film critics accorded it overwhelmingly negative reviews, characterising the work as Islamophobic propaganda.[15][16][6] The film has also faced protracted litigation and protests, primarily in Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

## Plot

[edit]

Fatima is accused of being a terrorist and is caught at the Afghan-Iran border. During her interrogation, she reveals that her real name is Shalini Unnikrishnan, a young woman from Kerala who was brainwashed into becoming a terrorist.

Shalini lives with her mother and grandmother in Kerala and later goes to the city to study nursing. There, she meets three friends—Nimah Matthew, Gitanjali, and Asifa. The four bond well, but Asifa, who is part of an Islamic Jihadi group, begins to influence the group. She frequently insists that there is only one religion and one god in the world, warning that people who don’t believe in this will never attain salvation.

Asifa, along with Abdul and Rameez, creates an atmosphere of fear and manipulation among the group. Over time, Shalini and Gitanjali start wearing the hijab and begin to believe in the ideology that only one god exists. Meanwhile, Nimah, sensing something is wrong, starts to distance herself from the group and eventually parts ways.

Shalini becomes romantically involved with Rameez and soon finds herself pregnant. Under pressure, she is forced to convert to Islam. However, Rameez abandons her, as per the group's plan, leaving her vulnerable and alone. She is then coerced into marrying Ishaq, believing that he will provide a secure future for her and her unborn child.

What Shalini does not know is that her marriage is just another step in the plan. She is illegally trafficked across multiple borders, enduring a harrowing journey that eventually leads her to Syria. There, she is groomed to become a suicide bomber, her life completely taken over by the group’s extremist agenda.

Her story unfolds as a tragic example of how fear, manipulation, and coercion can strip someone of their identity and autonomy.

## Cast

[edit]

* Adah Sharma as Shalini Unnikrishnan / Fatima Ba
* Yogita Bihani as Nimah Mathews
* Sonia Balani as Asifa Ba
* Siddhi Idnani as Geethanjali Menon / Anisha Ba
* Devadarshini as Shalini's mother
* Vijay Krishna as Ishak
* Pranay Pachauri as Rameez
* Pranav Misshra as Abdul
* Pranali Ghogare as Shaziya

## Production and release

[edit]

The film was produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, who is also the creative director.[1]

It released in theatres on 5 May 2023.[17] The digital streaming rights of the film were purchased by ZEE5.[18] The film premiered on ZEE5 from 16 February 2024.[19][20]

Prior to its domestic release, the film went through CBFC scrutiny and received an adults only classification following a number of requested changes.[21]

## Premise and factual accuracy

[edit]

The teaser released on 3 November 2022,[22] featuring the character of Fathima Ba, a Hindu Malayali nurse who had converted to Islam and joined the Islamic State, before ending up in an Afghan jail.[23] She claimed to be one of 32,000 girls from Hindu and Christian communities who are missing from Kerala and have been recruited into the Islamic State after being converted to Islam.[8] Sen, the director of the film, has made such claims for years.[23][8] In 2018, he directed a documentary on what he claimed to be the involuntary mass conversion of 32,000 Hindu and Christian girls to Islam as part of an "international conspiracy" to render Kerala an Islamic state.[24][25][26]

While the events portrayed in the film are loosely based on the accounts of three women from Kerala, namely: Nimisha Nair, Sonia Sebastian, and Merin Jacob, who converted to Islam and traveled with their respective husbands to Afghanistan to join the Islamic State between 2016 and 2018, the claimed figures in the film are wildly inaccurate, being based on mistranslations, misquotes, and misrepresentations of unrelated statistics.[27][28][8] No more than 100-200 Indians have joined the group from the entire country, with people from Kerala accounting for less than a quarter of them.[8] The figures posited in the film also exceed the entire strength of the Islamic State.[29]

Later, in response to litigation, the film-makers removed all promotional materials, including the teaser, that had the erroneous figure.[30] However, the film repeated the claims multiple times, and once raised it even higher to 50,000.[31] In response to further litigation, Sen admitted to all figures in the film being inauthentic, and that the film was a "fictionalised" portrayal of real-life events.[10]

## Response and controversy

[edit]

### Promotion by ruling party

[edit]

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its associated organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have supported the film; the party used it for their political messaging in the campaigning for Karnataka assembly elections.[29][32] Prime Minister Narendra Modi endorsed the film at an election rally in Karnataka, claimed that it had unearthed a "conspiracy", and alleged the Indian National Congress — which opposed the film — to support terrorism.[32][33] BJP President J. P. Nadda held special screenings of the film and invited "young Hindu girls" to watch it with them.[32] The film was made tax free in Madhya Pradesh as well as Uttar Pradesh; both the states have BJP governments.[34] Organiser, the official mouthpiece of RSS, described the film as a "dangerous truth".[29]

### Political opposition

[edit]

In Kerala, both the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Indian National Congress, the only two parties to have governed the state since Independence, have objected to the film for spreading "communal misinformation" in tune with the agenda of the Sangh Parivar.[23][35][36] In Tamil Nadu, protests were held by Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) and multiple Muslim political organisations.[15]

### Public protests

[edit]

The film has attracted public protests in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.[33][37] It fared poorly in Tamil Nadu, apparently forcing the Tamil Nadu Multiplex Association to stop further screenings; however, the filmmakers dispute the claims and allege political censorship.[15] The film had a similar fate in Kerala.[37]

### Bans and litigation

[edit]

On the eve of release, several petitions were filed at the Madras High Court, Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court of India, calling for a ban on grounds of promoting communal disharmony.[38] The petitions were either declined to be heard or dismissed by the courts;[39] however, the film-makers were asked to remove all promotional materials, including the teaser, that claimed thirty two thousand girls to have converted to Islam and joined the Islamic State in real life.[30]

On 8 May, the Government of West Bengal banned the movie, characterising the film as "hate speech", and citing adverse intelligence reports that had reported increased communal tensions in the audience.[40] The filmmakers challenged the decision in the Supreme Court and the ban was stayed.[41] However, the filmmakers had to accept the addition of two disclaimers — that the figures in the film were inauthentic, and that the film was a "fictionalised" portrayal of real-life events.[10]

## Reception

[edit]

### Box office

[edit]

On its opening day, the film grossed ₹8.03 crore in India,[42] making it the fifth highest opener in India for 2023.[43] As of 15 June 2023[update], the film had grossed ₹288.04 crore (US$33 million) in India and ₹15.64 crore (US$1.8 million) overseas for a worldwide gross collection of ₹303.97 crore (US$35 million), becoming the seventh-highest grossing Hindi film of 2023.[4] The film performed well in northern India but underperformed in the south.[37]

### Critical reception

[edit]

The Kerala Story received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics.[44] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 14% of 7 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.5/10.[45]

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated the film 0.5 out of 5 stars, calling it a "lengthy WhatsApp forward", and writing that Sen's work was laughably inept and in pursuance of an insidious agenda.[46] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave the film 1 out of 5 stars, characterising it as a "poorly-made, poorly-acted rant" that flattened Muslims into absolute evils.[47] She later included the film as one of the worst films of 2023.[48] Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in found the raison d'être of the film to lie in propagating Islamophobia, with every Muslim character being coded as a fanatic.[49] Anuj Kumar of The Hindu described the work as "burlesque" propaganda that borrowed its understanding of Islam, from "hate-filled Whatsapp groups" and sought to turn the audience into purveyors of hate by peddling "half-truths".[50]

Deepanjana Pal, reviewing for Film Companion, commented that the film was a "Giant Whatsapp forward" that could be hardly called a film, critiquing it for being political propaganda aimed at demonising Keralite Muslims and tapping into contemporary Hindu nationalist anxieties; Sen was "glaringly inept" in tackling the causes of radicalisation with sensitivity and merely preyed upon the grief of real survivors and victims.[51] Sowmya Rajendran, reviewing for The News Minute, rated the film 1 star out of 5 star; she panned the film as "no-nuance propaganda" where women were treated as objects who were to be fought for between religions and ideologies by men.[31][52][53][54][55][56]

India Today included the film as one of the five worst Hindi films of 2023.[57]

## Music

[edit]

The music of the film is composed by Viresh Sreevalsa and Bishakh Jyoti.

No.| Title| Lyrics| Singer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Pagal Parindey"| Ozil Dalal| Sunidhi Chauhan, Bishakh Jyoti| 2:04
2.| "Ambo Ambambo"| Viresh Sreevalsa| Athul Narukara| 1:52
3.| "Athira Ravil"| Viresh Sreevalsa| K. S. Chithra| 2:07
4.| "Tu Mila"| Ozil Dalal| K. S. Chithra| 2:07
5.| "Aakhir Kyun"| Anant, Porshia (Kurdish), Mahalakshmi Iyer| Bishakh Jyoti| 5:01
6.| "Aakhir Kyun Unplugged"| Anant| Bishakh Jyoti| 5:08

## See also

[edit]

* The Kashmir Files, a 2022 Indian film by Vivek Agnihotri about the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus

## References

[edit]

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2. ^ "Change City". m.inoxmovies.com. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
3. ^ "'Will rock box office': The Kerala Story destined to earn Rs 100 crore despite Bengal ban". Business Today (in Hindi). 10 May 2023. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
4. ^ a b "The Kerala Story Box office collection". Bollywood Hungama. 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
5. ^ "Dozens held in India after Islamic State film row". BBC News. 16 May 2023. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
6. ^ a b "How a Low-Budget Hindi Film Ignited Deadly Religious Tension". Time. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
7. ^ "Kerala Story: Film on alleged Indian ISIL recruits gets pushback". Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
8. ^ a b c d e "'32000 Kerala women in ISIS'". Alt News. 8 November 2022. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
9. ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (9 November 2022). "Indian police investigating film that portrays Kerala as Islamic terrorism hub". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
10. ^ a b c "Supreme Court stays West Bengal govt order banning film 'The Kerala Story'". The Indian Express. 18 May 2023. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
11. ^ "Bollywood Top Grossers Worldwide: 2023". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
12. ^ Hungama, Bollywood (8 January 2024). "From Jawan's Rs. 600+ crores to 21 films earning in Rs. 0-1 crore range, here are the MOST DEFINITIVE box office RECORDS of 2023". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
13. ^ "'The Kerala Story' takes centre stage as other issues pushed to back-burner in Karnataka polls". English.Mathrubhumi. 10 May 2023. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
14. ^ "PM invokes 'The Kerala Story' to slam Congress in Karnataka rally". The Times of India. 6 May 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
15. ^ a b c Hindi Bureau, The (7 May 2023). "The Kerala Story pulled out of multiplexes in Tamil Nadu". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
16. ^ "The Kerala Story: Why an Indian film on Islamic State is so controversial". BBC News. 10 May 2023. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
17. ^ "Controversial film The Kerala Story to be released on May 5, trailer out". The News Minute. 26 April 2023. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
18. ^ "The Kerala Story OTT Rights Bought By This Leading Platform, Tentative Release Date Out". English Jagran. 8 May 2023. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
19. ^ "Adah Sharma's The Kerala Story to stream on OTT from this date". Hindustan Times. 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
20. ^ "The Kerala Story OTT Rights Bought By This Leading Platform, Tentative Release Date Out". India Today. 7 February 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
21. ^ "Censor Board gives The Kerala Story 'A' certificate, removes 10 scenes, including interview with ex-CM". India Today. 2 May 2023. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
22. ^ "The Kerala Story teaser out". Cinema Express. 3 November 2022. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
23. ^ a b c "The Kerala Story: Film on India women in Islamic State sparks row". BBC News. 10 November 2022. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
24. ^ Athimuthu, Soundarya (12 November 2022). "Who Made 'The Kerala Story' & Why Were They Embroiled in Controversies Before?". TheQuint. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
25. ^ Sharma, Kritika (30 April 2018). "I was trying to bust 'love jihad' theory, says film-maker at centre of JNU screening row". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
26. ^ "Film not on 'love jihad', says director". The Times of India. 1 May 2018. Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
27. ^ "How accurate are the claims made by 'The Kerala Story'?". 2 May 2023. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
28. ^ Khan, Fatima (9 September 2021). "Taliban back, desperate Kerala families hope couples who fled to Afghanistan for ISIS can return". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
29. ^ a b c Jha, Prem Shankar (8 May 2023). "Modi's Backing of Inflammatory, Fictional 'Kerala Story' Highlights Pressing Need for Opposition Unity". The Wire. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
30. ^ a b "The Kerala Story producer agrees to remove '32,000 women converted' from teaser". India Today. 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
31. ^ a b Rajendran, Sowmya (5 May 2023). "The Kerala Story review: A no-nuance propaganda film that thrives on shock value". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
32. ^ a b c "PM Modi to JP Nadda, BJP leaders promote The Kerala Story amid Karnataka polls". The News Minute. 8 May 2023. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
33. ^ a b "As Producers Withdraw Misleading Claim, Modi Says 'Kerala Story' Exposes 'Ugly Truth' of Terrorism". The Wire. 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
34. ^ "The Kerala Story: Dozens held in Maharashtra after Islamic State film row". BBC News. 16 May 2023. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
35. ^ "'The Kerala Story' in the dock". Deccan Herald. 9 November 2022. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
36. ^ "Cong, DYFI, IUML youth wing demand ban on screening of 'The Kerala Story'". The Indian Express. 28 April 2023. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
37. ^ a b c Sasikumar, Meenakshy (8 May 2023). "Why Is 'The Kerala Story' Facing Pushback in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, & West Bengal?". TheQuint. Archived from the original on 8 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
38. ^ ""There are umpteen movies depicting Hindu sanyasis as rapists": Kerala High Court refuses to stay release of The Kerala Story". 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
39. ^ "Kerala High Court refuses to stay screening of 'The Kerala Story'". The Indian Express. 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
40. ^ Team, N. L. (17 May 2023). "'Contains hate speech, manipulated facts': Bengal govt defends ban on Kerala Story". Newslaundry. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
41. ^ "Supreme Court stays West Bengal govt order banning film 'The Kerala Story'". The Indian Express. 18 May 2023. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
42. ^ Tuteja, Joginder (6 May 2023). "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Box Office: Survives steep competition from Bollywood's The Kerala Story on Day 1". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
43. ^ Entertainment Desk (6 May 2023). "The Kerala Story box office collection Day 1: Sudipto Sen's film gets better opening than Selfiee, Shehzada, Kashmir Files; earns Rs 8.03 cr". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
44. ^ "Protest marches and a generally tepid audience response marks release of The Kerala Story". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 21 February 2025. Retrieved 21 February 2025. "Though the movie opened to overwhelmingly negative reviews from the critics nationwide, some of those who watched it on the first day said that it resonated with them."
45. ^ "The Kerela story". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
46. ^ Chatterjee, Saibal (5 May 2023). "The Kerala Story Review: The Writing Is Consistently Cringeworthy, The Acting Is No Better". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
47. ^ Gupta, Shubhra (5 May 2023). "The Kerala Story movie review: A poorly-made, poorly-acted rant". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
48. ^ Gupta, Shubhra (28 December 2023). ""The Worst Films of 2023: Animal, Adipurush and Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan feature in Shubhra Gupta's list"". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 20 February 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
49. ^ Ramnath, Nandini (5 May 2023). "'The Kerala Story' review: All about Islamophobia". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
50. ^ Kumar, Anuj (5 May 2023). "'The Kerala Story' movie review: Adah Sharma's performance marred by half-truths and an emotionally exploitative gaze". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
51. ^ Pal, Deepanjana (5 May 2023). "The Kerala Story Movie Review: If WhatsApp Forwards Could Be a Film, This Would Be It". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
52. ^ "The Kerala Story Movie Review: A serious issue lost to bad direction, worse writing". India Today. 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
53. ^ Gahlot, Deepa. "The Kerala Story Review: Distorted". Rediff. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
54. ^ Mishra, Pratikshya (5 May 2023). "'The Kerala Story' Review: Some Storytelling Is Irresponsible at Best". TheQuint. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
55. ^ "'The Kerala Story' review: A chalice filled with anti-Muslim venom". The Week. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
56. ^ Prateek Sur (12 May 2023). "'The Kerala Story' Movie Review: Adah Sharma's Film Is A Fantastic Guide On What Not To Do When Someone's Brainwashing You". Outlook. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
57. ^ "'The Kerala Story' to 'Ganapath': Worst Hindi films of 2023". India Today. Archived from the original on 20 February 2025. Retrieved 20 February 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* The Kerala Story at IMDb
* The Kerala Story at Rotten Tomatoes
* The Kerala Story at Bollywood Hungama

*[est.]: estimation
*[No.]: Number