The controversial film ‘The Kerala Story’ has caused a political storm ahead of its release in cinemas on May 5th. The subject of the movie has sparked widespread debate, with many in Kerala and beyond calling for a ban due to alleged fudged figures about the number of women who converted to Islam and later joined ISIS in Syria. Director Sudipto Sen has addressed the controversy by saying the figure of 32,000 is arbitrary but backed by some facts, including former Kerala CM Ooman Chandy’s claim that 900 girls were converted per year in 2014. However, the Kerala government was not cooperative in providing figures, and fake website links were given to check the number of missing girls. Despite political leaders reacting angrily to the film’s release, the controversy is continuing to widen.
