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The Kerala Story Review: Half reality, half fiction… which is a bit difficult to digest

The Kerala Story Movie Review: Religious conversion is not a new issue and this has been shown earlier in many stories. Sometimes the exploitation hidden in religion has forced people to convert, and sometimes the incidents of forced conversion have been continuously coming to the fore. In the last few years, hundreds of cases of religious conversion have come to the fore due to love, which has been given the name of ‘Love Jihad’. But in the year 2016-18, many such shocking cases came to light in Kerala, in which girls were forced to convert to Islam for one reason or the other and were groomed for the Islamic State ie ISIS. Sudipto Sen’s ‘The Kerala Story’ is a story based on a similar true incident that happened in Kerala. The film shows how girls from a nursing college in Kerala were brainwashed to convert to Islam and join the ISIS organization.

‘The Kerala Story’ is the story of 3 girls whose lives are ruined at the hands of some Indian Muslims working for ISIS. The love jihad angle has also been cashed in the film, where Muslim boys force 2 girls to convert to Islam and leave their families. Shalini Unnikrishnan (Adah Sharma) converts to Islam and becomes Fatima Baa. Then faces many ups and downs. How these girls were brainwashed by giving them love and money and won their trust. He was told with some arguments that Islam is the biggest religion in the world, how many flaws have there been in the God of other religions.

Who is stronger between God and Allah at many places in the film? Misleading and childish arguments have been given on this. When Asifa (Sonia Balani) gives the logic of Dojak (Hell) and Hell Fire, other characters like Shalini, Nimah (Yogita Bihani), Gitanjali (Siddhi Idnani) give a stupid reaction, she is surprised. Apart from Hinduism, other religions also have the concept of after death – heaven, hell and reincarnation. Director Sudipto has shown the Hindu girls as weak and naive while the Muslim girls are clever and loyal to Islam.

Adah Sharma in ‘The Kerala Story’. (Photo courtesy: Instagram @adah_ki_adah)

It seems at many places that an attempt was made to balance it. In one part of the film, communism i.e. communism, which calls religion opium, has also been attacked. Questions have been raised from the theory of Karl Marx to Ramayana and Lord Shiva.

These scenes are going to make you uncomfortable

Many uncomfortable scenes have been shown in the film. The first scene is when the pregnant Fatima’s husband forcefully rapes her. When the second takes Fatima to an ISIS hideout, where many women are already present as sex slaves. Fatima is also shown as a sex slave and many people rape her.

Yogita Bihani’s missing girl monologue

At the same time, there is a monologue of Yogita Bihani, which grabs your attention. Yogita has played the character of Nimah. She speaks at the police station on girls going missing from Kerala. She talks about being brainwashed herself. Also tells the real figures and facts related to missing girls. Raises questions on the political silence of the people in power.

Poster of ‘The Kerala Story’. (Photo courtesy: Instagram @adah_ki_adah)

The characters of the film could not come completely in front of Nikhar. A painful journey is shown till the end of the film. In order to make the film real, Sudipto has not been able to strike a proper balance. By shortening many scenes, the last scene could have been made excellent and inspiring. Clips of some real victims are also shown in the end of the film, which creates a stir in the mind.

Adah Sharma’s best performance till date

Adah Sharma’s best acting till date has been seen in the film. Apart from this, other actors have also given excellent performances. But the background score and music of the film does not match the story of the film. background score

manipulation

Sudipto Sen is an independent filmmaker. He has already made a documentary on this issue titled ‘In the Name of Love’. He has transformed the documentary into a film by exaggerating and manipulating it a bit. He has made a mistake in understanding the nuances and poignancy in making the film. He is showing forceful hatred towards one religion, whereas all religions have shortcomings and flaws. He seems to have been more influenced by Vivek Agnihotri and ‘The Kashmir Files’, the way he has exaggerated things. Similarly Sudipto showed in ‘The Kerala Story’.