Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday banned the contentious film The Kerala Story, accused by its critics of furthering Hindutva’s Islamophobic propaganda, barely an hour after a news conference in which she bitterly criticised such films and the saffron ecosystem’s attempts to play with fire.
“This (the ban) is to avoid any incident of hatred and violence, to maintain peace in the state,” Mamata was quoted in an official communiqué, which added that she had directed chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi to have the Sudipto Sen-directed film removed from the screens currently running it.
The Kerala Story plays on so-called love jihad — an unsubstantiated theory of a supposedly widespread conspiracy to lure Hindu women with love and convert them to Islam — and purports to lay bare a plot to forcibly convert women in Kerala and make them join the ISIS.
At her afternoon news conference in Nabanna, the state secretariat, the chief minister brought up the film in the context of trouble in Manipur, accusing the saffron camp of causing “manmade” problems across the country to reap political dividends.
“Nowadays, it is a man-made problem. They tried this in Bengal as well. A political party that plays withfire, casteism, divisiveness, and divide-and-rule politics,” said Mamata.
“Why did they come up with The Kashmir Files? To humiliate one section of people. What is The Kerala (Story)? Though I do not support the CPM (the ruling party in Kerala), I am talking about the people....,” added the Trinamul chief.
Controversial filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri-directed The Kashmir Files had been widely described last year as similar Right-wing propaganda to vilify a particular community with claims of a Hindu genocide.
“Instead of me, it was their (the CPM’s) duty to criticise it. But they (the BJP and the CPM) work together. I am sorry, I will request the (Kerala) state government, the chief minister (Pinarayi Vijayan)… it is very sad that your party is working with the BJP. And that BJP is showing The Kerala (Story), a distorted story,” said Mamata.
CPM central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said there was no need to ban the film in Bengal, as there were almost no takers for the film here.
“The CPM-led Kerala government does not believe in the ban culture. People across the country know this film and its kind are a web of sinister lies,” said Chakraborty.
On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi injected into the Karnataka Assembly elections a reference of The Kerala Story to flag “a new face of terrorism” in spite of Kerala High Court saying “we find that the producers have published a disclaimer along with the movie, which specifically states that the film has been fictionalised and is a dramatised version of events”.
Kerala High Court on Friday refused to stay the exhibition of the film on the grounds that it is not a historical movie and does not offend any particular community.
Directed by Sudipto Sen, the film first triggered a controversy last year when its first teaser was released on YouTube. It claimed that 32,000 non-Muslim girls had been lured, converted and radicalised in Kerala as part of an alleged ISIS plot. But the filmmaker could not produce any evidence to back the number, drawing sustained criticism from non-BJP parties, many of whom offered a reward of up to Rs 1 crore for evidence to substantiate the claim.
Mamata expressed concerns over Agnihotri’s proposed 2024 film, The Delhi Files, which is purportedly going to be based on the horrors of Partition in Bengal.
“Just a few days ago, some stars nominated by the BJP, funded by the BJP, came to Bengal also, and along with some distorted stories, concocted stories, they are preparing a film, The (Delhi) Files. They prepared The Kashmir Files, to condemn the Kashmiri people… what is the fault of the people?” asked the Bengal chief minister.
“We respect each and everybody. That is our Constitution. Now they defame the Kerala state, and its people also. Then? Everyday, they are defaming with their narrative… (trying) to defame Bengal also,” she added.
Mamata demanded answers on who gave them the right.
“They are defaming the (non-BJP) parties, especially the ones in power (in various states). They have forgotten that democracy is permanent, the chair is not. The chair will come and go, but democracy will go on forever,” she said.
“A ruler must ensure peace, that is the credibility of a ruling party,” she added.
Reacting on the ban, BJP state unit chief Sukanta Majumdar tweeted: “...It (the film) is based on the true stories and shows how Islamists trap Hindu girls into Love Jihad and later send to become ISIS terrorists. Didi want to close her eyes to the reality. She want to deprive the people of WB, specially women from this harsh reality. The cases of Love Jihad are common in WB.”
Filmmaker Agnihotri too took to Twitter.
“I guess, @MamataOfficial didi is talking about me. Yes, I came to Bengal to interview survivors of Direct Action Day genocide instigated by Khilafat. And the role of Gopal Patha. Why are you scared?” he asked.
“#TheKashmirFiles was about Genocide and terrorism. On what basis do you think it was to defame Kashmiri people? On what basis do you say so maliciously that it is funded by a political party? Why shouldn’t I file a defamation case and a case of Genocide Denial against you?” added Agnihotri.
