10th May 2023 Mumbai: Tovino Thomas criticises the producers of ‘The Kerala Story’ for deceiving the audience with false statistics and urges them to “stop believing irrationally.”
The Kerala Story Is widely discussed. The Adha Sharma-starring movie overcame several challenges and was released in the midst of controversy, but it still managed to do well at the box office. The story of a group of Keralan ladies who converted to Islam and joined the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) serves as the basis for the movie. Tovino Thomas, a Malayalam actor who is from a tiny village in Kerala, commented on the new film’s attempt to depict the region. The actor has criticised the producers for providing false information and exhorts the audience to exercise caution.
According to Tovino Thomas, who is marketing his newest film, 2018, which is based on the 2018 Kerala floods, it cannot be The Kerala Story if it discusses three ladies who converted to Islam. He criticised the creators for providing incorrect information even though they had adjusted the number from 32000 to 3. He expresses amazement and says that, given that Kerala is home to almost 35 million people, it is impossible to draw broad conclusions from just three cases. He didn’t dispute that Kerala would have prevented this from happening, he just doesn’t personally know it. He claims that everything we see these days is essentially an opinion; five stations each present a story in five distinct ways.
“I won’t dispute the reality that this occurred,” he said in an interview with Indian Express. “However, three out of 35 million is an extremely small sample size, making generalisations impossible. When the producers first specified the number 32000 but afterwards modified it to 3,” Thomas questioned the makers as to why they had initially selected such a large number. He claims that the figure 32000 is a fake, but he won’t say anything because he believes that everyone would understand. He wants people to start thinking and using logic instead of just accepting things at face value. Encourage the audience to avoid being fed false information.
He continued, “Film can be fiction, but you can’t name the story. Kerala’s Story. “Thomas, a native of Kerala who was reared there, will not acknowledge that this is a Kerala story. He emphasised how there were no religious or political organisations or groupings apart during the 2018 floods. The populace remained united, persisted, and made it through the floods. He said that since the purpose of film is to entertain people and convey messages, creators should avoid conveying negative messages. According to Tovino Thomas,Cinema is one of the most impactful art forms; as a result, it should not be abused but rather should convey a powerful message that should be viewed as a responsibility.
Adah Sharma, Sonia Balani, Yogita Bihani, and Siddhi Idnani are the stars of The Kerala Story. Sudipto Sen is the director, while Vipul Amrutlal Shah is the producer, both working under the umbrella of Sunshine Productions. On May 5, 2023, the movie was released in theatres.
-by Kashvi Gala