– Vasudha ‘Kanupriya’
Truth is always bitter, very bitter. The Kerala Story — which producer Vipul Shah and director Sudipto Sen have called “based on true events” — is a film that tugs at the human sensibilities.
Those who have been reading newspapers/magazines for years, they have read the stories of brutality of ISIS, have also seen them in the media. They know what sex slaves are, how they are inhumanly raped by dozens of people one after the other. Under the Taliban ideology, how people have been punished publicly, sometimes by chopping off their hands and legs and sometimes by shooting them. The veracity of these reports was never questioned. Why, then, has there been a hue and cry in the political circles when the same scene has been shown in the film ‘The Kerala Story’ quoting a converted Indian girl? This is when, even today, an unfortunate victim is lying in a cell waiting to return to the country.
The spine-chilling tale of ‘The Kerala Story’ focuses on four girls who are roommates in a nursing college. Among them, Shalini Unnikrishnan, Geetanjali and Nima Mathew are brainwashed by a student named Asifa. Asifa is an agent of ISIS, whose job is to convert girls and send them to Syria. She sets a trap for all three of her roommates but Nima rejects her radical thinking. Shalini is most impressed by Asifa. Asifa’s cousin impregnates Shalini in a trap of love and absconds. Then Shalini alias Fatima Ba’s ‘Nikah’ is read with someone else and she is sent to Syria.
Gitanjali also sends her nude photos and videos to her alleged lover due to her addiction to drugs. When she does not agree to convert to Syria despite threats, then she is forced to commit suicide by making these videos and photos viral on social media. His parents’ house is burnt down. Christian girl Nima is not impressed by Asifa’s words but also opposes her.
The scenes of brutality and rape shown in this film may be scary for the weak hearted. Crossing the limits of inhumanity, the way women are tortured in the camps built on the Syrian-Afghan border in the name of Sharia, this scene is heart-wrenching.
The focus of the film is the story of a girl who got converted after being trapped in the trap of an Islamic organization, which should not be linked to any particular religion in any way but should be seen only as an act of a radical Jihadi organization. The way women are exploited in ISIS camps is not surprising, but it is heart wrenching.
Even if it is a story of only two girls, it is necessary to take a lesson from their outcome and warn everyone else. In future, no innocent Indian daughter should waste her life by getting trapped in some kind of “trap”. If you look at the film objectively, you will not be able to call it anti-Islam. The fundamentalist jihadi organizations are the enemy of humanity and can go to any extent to fulfill their cause — it is in this perspective that the film should be seen.
Arifa says some lewd things about Hindu Gods and Goddesses which were said only to trick the girls. On the other hand, Shalini aka Fatima shows her curiosity regarding Sharia laws from her neighbors in Syria. Such dialogue was only used to advance the story, not for the purpose of condemning any religion.
According to the producer and director, they have a lot of evidence to prove the veracity of the plot of the film. After extensive research, he made this film. At the time of shooting, he had to face many types of harassment or indignation. Producer Vipul Shah told a channel that a lot of dialogues about talking to the families of the victim girls have been retained.
Surrounded by controversies for several reasons, ‘The Kerala Story’ has managed to pull audiences to the theatres. The film is also being opposed and has been banned in some states due to appeasement. Setting aside all the controversies, I have a question — Do Vipul Shah and Sudipto Sen have ‘freedom of expression’ or not? Or is this right only available to people like Aamir Khan who made ‘PK’?
(The writer is a poet and freelance journalist)
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