![]() “The Kerala Story draws the attention of the entire nation to the conspiracy of love jihad,” Adityanath told reporters after a special screening of the film. India’s northern Uttar Pradesh state, which is governed by Yogi Adityanath, a hardline Hindu monk-turned-politician, was one of the first states to pass the law. Some BJP-run states have introduced anti-conversion laws targeting “love jihad,” making it increasingly difficult for inter-faith couples to marry or for people to convert religions – a move lambasted by rights group for being unconstitutional and Islamophobic. Several BJP politicians have praised the film for drawing the nation’s attention to “love jihad” – a term used by radical Hindu groups who accuse Muslim men of attempting to convert women of other faiths to Islam. She criticized the filmmakers for stereotypes, writing: “All the Muslim figures in the film are dark and intimidating.” Shubhra Gupta from the Indian Express called it “a poorly-made, poorly-acted rant which is not interested in interrogating the social complexities of Kerala, an India state proud of its multi-religious, multi-ethnic identity.” Independent news outlet The Wire called it “a propaganda film that thrives on shock value.”Ĭritic Sowmya Rajendran wrote “all the creative liberties … are presented as the absolute truth, with no serious attempt to understand why such radicalisation takes place and what feeds it.” However, some movie critics have slammed the film for its factual inaccuracy and failure to provide nuance. India's latest box office smash 'The Kashmir Files' exposes deepening religious divides Women walk past a banner of Bollywood movie 'The Kashmir Files' outside a cinema hall in the old quarters of Delhi on March 21, 2022. “Develop physical relations… If required, make them pregnant,” an elderly, bearded man, wearing traditional Islamic clothes, says. In the film’s trailer, the Muslim roommate is seen conspiring with older Muslim men at an “Islamic Study Center,” where they instruct a group of boys to “isolate” Unnikrishnan and her roommates from their families. She befriends her three roommates, including a young Muslim woman. The main character, Unnikrishnan, portrayed by Indian actress Adah Sharma, is depicted as an innocent, fun-loving Hindu girl, studying at a college in Kerala. Kerala’s chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, has called the story “fake,” and others say the film perpetuates negative stereotypes of Muslims at a time of increasing religious polarization.īut many prominent politicians from the country’s ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have praised the film, with some BJP-ruled states even waiving tax on tickets. Neither report provided a gender breakdown. ![]() In 2021, India’s National Investigation Agency said it had arrested 168 people connected to 37 cases “of terror attacks, conspiracy, and funding” inspired by ISIS. Last week, India’s Supreme Court ordered the filmmakers to add a disclaimer that says the film is a fictionalized version of events, and that there is no data to back its claims of broader conspiracy to radicalize Indian women.Īccording to a 2020 report from the US state department’s Country Reports on Terrorism 2020, there were “66 known Indian-origin fighters affiliated with ISIS” as of November that year. ![]() According to the filmmakers, these women were pawns in a “dangerous conspiracy” hatched against India that has seen tens of thousands of Indian women follow the same path.īut critics were quick to point out that simply wasn’t true – and there was no evidence to support such a claim. Movies like these are “custom-made to spread hate, trigger Islamophobia and justify violence against Muslims,” he said.įilmmakers had initially attempted to present the movie as based on a true story of three women in the southern state of Kerala who were allegedly lured into converting to Islam and trafficked into joining ISIS. The low-budget, scripted film has taken $24 million since its release just over two weeks ago, according to Box Office India, a worrying sign according to Debasish Roy Chowdhury, co-author of “To Kill A Democracy: India’s Passage to Despotism.” This is the original teaser for Indian filmmaker Sudipto Sen’s controversial new movie, “The Kerala Story,” the latest box office hit in India despite fears it is deepening religious tensions between majority Hindus and Muslims in the nation of 1.4 billion. “Now I am Fatima Ba, an ISIS terrorist in an Afghanistan jail. “My name was Shalini Unnikrishnan,” an actor dressed head-to-toe in a full Islamic veil, says in a mournful voice as she speaks to the camera.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |