Actor Kamal Haasan expressed his strong opposition to the highly controversial film, “The Kerala Story,” directed by Sudipto Sen. The movie, which has generated unprecedented controversy since its release, revolves around the theme of religious and ideological conversions. Haasan was speaking at a recent press conference in Abu Dhabi criticized the film, emphasizing that merely labeling it as a “true story” is not sufficient if the narrative does not align with reality.
“Propaganda films I am against,” Haasan firmly stated, making his stance clear on the contentious movie. “It’s not enough if you just write ‘true story’ at the bottom as a logo. It has to really be true, and that (the film) is not true.”
In his response to Kamal’s comments Sudipto Sen responded to the criticism surrounding his film. Refusing to be drawn into a debate, Sen said, “I don’t react to (such statements). Earlier, I used to try and explain, but today, I don’t do that because people who called it a propaganda film, after watching it, said it was nice. Those who didn’t see it are criticizing it.”
The director further elaborated on the film’s limited release, stating, “The same way it was not released in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. These guys didn’t see the film, so they think it is propaganda. There are very stupid stereotypes in our country… life has to be black or white, they don’t know life exists in the grey.”
Sen, currently hospitalized due to dehydration and infection from tireless post-release promotions, added, “If BJP is liking the film, that doesn’t mean it’s their film. Not only BJP, but Congress and any other political party… internationally in 37 countries, people are liking it. Even if they have criticism, they are calling and discussing it with me.”
The Kerala Story Director Sen accuses critics as hypocrites
The director concluded by expressing his frustration with those labeling the film as propaganda without having watched it, accusing them of hypocrisy and pettiness. “A person is indulging in propaganda by calling it a propaganda film without watching it and making his opinion. What else would the words be than hypocrisy or petty! I have stopped explaining to them,” Sen asserted.
“The Kerala Story” has been mired in controversy since its release, sparking a fierce political battle between the Modi-led NDA Government and several opposition parties. The movie faced strong criticism from opposition groups due to its portrayal of girls being converted in Kerala to join ISIS. As a result, the Kerala Story was banned in multiple non-BJP-ruled states. However, in BJP-ruled states, it received a contrasting response and was even declared a tax-free film.