11th May 2023, Mumbai: Shatrughan Sinha is a difficult person to get hold of because of his continuous travela. But the actor slash politician finally appeared to comment on the controversial film The Kerala Story, about a Hindu woman in Kerala’s alleged conversion to Islam finally appeared to give his view on The Kerala Story Controversy.
Getting directly to the point without mincing words Mr. Shatrughan said: “Firstly, let me make it very clear that I haven’t seen The Kerala Story. I haven’t seen my daughter’s (Sonakshi) ‘Dahaad’ series because I’ve been busy traveling. I strongly believe that everyone has the right to say what they want. But not at the expense of national law and order. If cinema threatens national peace, its freedom should be restricted. There’s the right to expression. There’s also the right to administration.”
Sinha justified the film ban in West Bengal and allied with WB’s commercials. “Yes, Mamata Banerjee is a very fair leader. She has campaigned for freedom of expression and if she feels the film is dangerous for certain people, she has the right to do what she sees fit to enjoy her freedom,” the actor said. He further outlined the almost similar controversy surrounding the 2022 release The Kashmir Files.
“I myself have always defended the right to liberty. Long before Vivek Agnihotri’s Thre Kashmir Files, I spoke of the plight of the Pandits of Kashmir. The government then ignored it. I would be happy if Vivek’s film sparked a discussion about the Kashmiri pandits. Movies must be made on sensitive themes. But they have to be sensitive. Why is this movie about proselytizing during an election? I think the timing is a little weird.”
The Kerala Story is a film about three Hindu women who convert to Islam and join ISIS. The film had previously cited 32,000 missing women in Kerala as having suffered the same fate. However, following court intervention, that number was later changed to three. Directed by Sudipto Sen and starring Ada Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Bharani and Siddhi Idnani.
Written by: Khushboo Singh