‘The Kerala Story’ starring Adah Sharma has become an all-time classic, and despite varied reviews, Sudipto Sen’s movie has been the year’s second-highest-grossing film. A few states have banned ‘The Kerala Story’ because of political response. Recently, director Anurag Kashyap came out in support of the filmmakers and spoke out against the ban. “Whether you agree with the film or not, whether it is propaganda, counter-propaganda, offensive or not, banning it is simply wrong,” he wrote.
Now, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, star of Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, has responded to the director’s remark, telling a media outlet without referencing ‘The Kerala Story’, “I agree with him. But if a film or a novel is hurting someone, then that’s wrong. We don’t make films to hurt the audience or their sentiments.”
According to Nawazuddin Siddiqui, a film should be able to unify people rather than separate them. “We make films to foster social harmony and love among people. It’s our responsibility to propagate the same.” He further added that nothing in this world deserves to be banned. Siddiqui further added, “But if a film has the power to break people and social harmony, it’s extremely wrong. Humein isse duniya ko jodna hai, todna nahi hai (We need to unite the world, not to divide it).”
The Supreme Court overturned the ban on ‘The Kerala Story’ in West Bengal more than a week ago. However, the film was never released in the state, with the producers and distributors alleging they were threatened and pressured not to exhibit the controversial picture. According to the film’s soundtrack director, who is from West Bengal, the film has finally secured a theatre in the state.
Sudipto Sen’s ‘The Kerala Story’ tells the narrative of women brainwashed and converted to Islam by ISIS. The film is doing well at the box office and has already made over INR 200 crores at the domestic box office. On May 5, ‘The Kerala Story’ was released in theatres.
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