More than a story: on the film, The Kerala Story, and the demand that it be banned

The demand for a ban on The Kerala Story, a movie apparently based mostly on the situations of some ladies becoming a member of the Islamic State, is ill-conceived. It’s to the credit score of the Supreme Court docket and the Excessive Courts of Kerala and Madras that they didn’t yield to the clamour for proscribing the film. It garnered opposed publicity due to a teaser that made an exaggerated declare that 32,000 ladies have gone lacking in Kerala, presumably to hitch the terrorist group. Nevertheless, the film-makers have agreed to withdraw the teaser and carry a disclaimer that the movie’s content material is fictional. The movie’s extra notable function is that it has been denounced as undisguised propaganda. These searching for the ban accuse its makers of attempting to stoke communal passions and the projecting of a faux narrative in opposition to Muslims. Nevertheless, even when that’s true, any ban on the movie will likely be counter-productive. Bans might be overturned by courts, and so they are inclined to evoke curiosity in regards to the movie and sometimes find yourself making extra folks type opinions on its content material. In impact, it enhances the propaganda worth, and furthers the ulterior motive, if any. It’s now legally settled that after a movie has been licensed by the statutory authority, there may be actually no case to ban one. Legal guidelines pertaining to public order certainly empower the police and native authorities to cease a movie’s screening, however it will likely be perilous to take action each time a gaggle calls for a ban.

Experiences from Tamil Nadu and Kerala counsel that threats of protests have resulted in multiplexes and a few cinema house owners selecting to not display screen the movie. It’s usually the native authorities who’ve an obligation to supply satisfactory safety, as dominated by the Supreme Court docket. Nevertheless, moderately than the legislation, it’s prudent evaluation of the bottom state of affairs that helps them decide. What can be condemnable is the try and make political and electoral capital out of The Kerala Story. The Prime Minister himself has alleged that solely those that assist terrorism will criticise such a film. It doesn’t behove excessive constitutional functionaries to communalise the talk over the movie. Protests in opposition to an allegedly false narrative a couple of State or a neighborhood won’t quantity to backing terrorism. The concern that the movie purportedly grapples with — that younger folks could also be focused for radicalisation — needs to be addressed by isolating extremist components and fostering higher understanding amongst communities. The mischief wrought by a false projection of actuality is finest undone via exposing the falsehood and the underlying motive, and never via hasty bans.