No Mention Of Protests By Islamic Organisations In Tamil Nadu's Response To Supreme Court On Plea Against Alleged 'De-Facto' Ban On 'The Kerala Story' In The State

In its response to the Supreme Court on a plea filed by the producers of the movie, 'The Kerala Story', the government of Tamil Nadu has said that multiplex owners had themselves taken the decision to not show the movie.

According to media reports, the government's response stated that the owners had cited criticism, poor audience response, and lack of well- known actors as reasons to cancel screenings within two days of the movie's release.

Further, it said that the allegations of the petitioners saying that the state government had enforced a 'de-facto' ban on the movie by informally signalling to theatre owners that their premises would not be protected if there was any untoward incident' were baseless as it had not ordered the stoppage of screening and had no control over the decision of the multiplex owners.

It said that adequate security personnel were deployed in theatres given the sensitive nature of the film.

The state had seen protests by Islamic organisations and political parties like the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (TMMK), the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK). They alleged that the film about ISIS brides was spreading hatred against minorities.

Former Member of Parliament from Vellore and Tamil Nadu Waqf Board chairman Abdul Rahman claimed the movie was deliberately aimed at sullying “the reputation, traditional and valuable culture of Indian Muslim people, especially Muslim women”. 

The response was filed after the Supreme Court issued notices to Tamil Nadu and West Bengal on 12 May. West Bengal has banned the movie.

Also Read: Why 'The Kerala Story' Is Like 'The Rotherham Story'

‘The Kerala Story’ Shows Cancelled In Multiplexes Across Tamil Nadu Amid Threats From Islamic Groups And Political Parties