09 May 2023, Mumbai: Filmmaker Sudipto Sen has claimed that the recent ban on his film ‘The Kerala Story’ by the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal was motivated by political reasons. He has appealed to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to view the film before making any decision regarding its fate
In an interview , Sudipto Sen expressed his disappointment with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s decision to ban his film ‘The Kerala Story’ without even watching it. According to him, the film has not caused any disturbance in the state, and the ban was driven by political motives. Sen has appealed to the Chief Minister to watch the movie before making any judgement about its content.
Sen mentioned that his film had been running successfully in West Bengal for the past four days, with full occupancy in theatres.
According to Sen, some individuals halted the screening of his film in theatres midway, after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the ban. As a filmmaker and not a politician, Sen believes that it is up to the audience to decide whether or not they want to watch his movie. The film had already run successfully in Kolkata for four days without any issues until the sudden ban announcement by the Chief Minister, who expressed concerns about potential law and order problems.
Sen also pointed out the irony that Mamata Banerjee and Mahua Moitra are known as advocates for free speech and human rights, and that Mamata Banerjee had supported the release of the film ‘Padmaavat’ when it faced a ban. He expressed confusion as to why his film, ‘The Kerala Story’, was being treated differently and was deemed to have the potential for law and order problems. Mamata Banerjee had justified the ban by stating that it was necessary to prevent any incidents of hatred or violence and to maintain peace in the state.
Sen made an appeal to Mamata Banerjee to watch the film before forming an opinion based on others’ views. He expressed confidence that she would appreciate the movie and feel proud that a Bengali filmmaker had made such a responsible film. Sen also noted that there had been a lot of controversy and debate surrounding the film until its release.
Sen stated that once people watched the film, it was widely appreciated, and all the prior debates surrounding it ceased. There was only one minor issue in Tamil Nadu, where a man had threatened theatre owners in the past, creating problems whenever there were any issues in the state. However, the Tamil Nadu High Court had eventually permitted the film’s release after the censor board had already cleared it. The court saw no reason to impose a ban on the movie.
The West Bengal government was the first to impose a ban on the film, which portrays the harrowing experiences of three women trafficked to ISIS camps after being converted to Islam through marriage. However, the movie has received tax exemptions in Madhya Pradesh, where the BJP is in power, and now Uttar Pradesh has followed suit. Mamata Banerjee had instructed officials to remove the film from all theatres where it was being shown. Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the film’s producer, stated that they would consider taking legal action against the decision if the state government does not respond to their appeals. However, any course of action they pursue would be based on legal advice.
The Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, had accused the movie of being “RSS propaganda”. The film features Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani, and Sonia Balani in prominent roles. The movie had sparked a major controversy after its trailer had claimed that 32,000 women from Kerala had gone missing and joined the ISIS terrorist group. However, after protests erupted, the disputed figure was removed from the trailer.