- 12 hours ago
As Kerala Story 2 faces legal scrutiny ahead of its release, the Kerala High Court has ordered a pre-screening of the film after petitioners raised concerns that the teaser and trailer wrongly portray the people of Kerala.
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00:00Hello everyone, you're watching NewsTrack with me, Maria Shaquille.
00:03Before it even hits cinema screens, the Kerala story too has landed in court.
00:09The Kerala High Court has sought a pre-screening of the film,
00:13stating that the teaser and trailer wrongly portray the people of Kerala.
00:17However, the makers have responded by challenging the court's maintainability.
00:22As cinema, politics and public pulse collide once again,
00:25the big question arises, is the movie a reflection of reality or a tool of propaganda?
00:31Before I bring in the political voices on the show, here's a report.
00:52Part 1 or Part 2, the debate remains the same, only louder, sharper, more explosive.
01:01The legal storm around Kerala story too has now reached a flashpoint.
01:06Just days before the movie's release, the Kerala High Court has stepped in,
01:11ordering the makers to arrange a special screening for the court before it hits theatres on Friday.
01:18While hearing three petitions seeking a stay on Kerala story too,
01:23the High Court observed that concerns of the petitioners were justified and they could not be brushed aside.
01:29The court cautioned that any portrayal capable of triggering communal tension must be examined carefully.
01:37It also reminded the CBFC of its crucial responsibility,
01:41particularly if a secular state like Kerala is depicted through communal lens.
01:47The filmmakers first agreed to take down the teaser and trailer
01:51and asked for time to arrange a special screening of the movie for the court.
01:55Now, they have told the High Court that it should first decide whether the case is legally maintainable before watching
02:02the movie.
02:03In response, the court remarked that the filmmakers don't seem interested in letting the judges watch the film.
02:11Before the courtroom battle intensified, the filmmakers went on the offensive.
02:15At a pre-release event, they presented people who they described as real-life survivors of forced religious conversions.
02:25One voice stood out.
02:27Tara Shahadio, a national-level shooter from Ranchi, recounted her ordeal.
02:32There was something like that, when I met with the person who I was in the shooting range,
02:37I was in the shooting range, and I was in the ranks of the people who reached the officer.
02:42I was convinced that I had to sign that all of them were in the name of the divorce certificate.
02:48They told me that they gave me some time to give me some time to give me some time to
02:59give you.
03:01I thought I would get this opportunity and I would be able to go out there to live.
03:06Tara's testimony formed the emotional core of the event.
03:10A stark personal account that the filmmakers say inspired parts of their narrative.
03:16But critics argue that the film risk painting an entire state and community with a broad brush.
03:23Supporters insist it is exposing uncomfortable truths.
03:31Will the High Court clear the film or will it ask for changes?
03:35For now, just like the Kerala story before it,
03:38the sequel now stands at the crossroads of cinema, politics and public sentiment.
03:48With Shivimol KG, Bureau Report, India Today.
03:55Sanju Verma, national spokesperson of the BJP, joins me on the show tonight.
03:58Henry Austin is the spokesperson of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee.
04:02Sanju Verma, the National Investigation Agency, which was probing multiple cases of alleged love jihad,
04:10had concluded that it could not find evidence of an organized conspiracy.
04:16So, what do these films really do?
04:19It actually creates some kind of Islamophobia and build that narrative of love jihad,
04:24which doesn't really exist as a larger conspiracy.
04:29You know, Maria, first and foremost, I really enjoyed the interview with Cristiano Aman of Qualcomm.
04:36But coming to the moot point of the debate, which is the issue at hand,
04:41you know, I'm not an Islamophobe.
04:42I'm not a pseudo-secular either.
04:44And I just have this to say.
04:46Yes, the NIH has concluded that there is no organized conspiracy.
04:50Yes.
04:51But equally, you remember a person called Riyadh Abu Bakr.
04:55Riyadh Abu Bakr was apprehended three years back by the NIA,
04:59and he has admitted to the fact that there is a Kasar Gaur module,
05:04there is a Kochi module, there is a Thiru Varantapuram module,
05:07there is a Malapuram module.
05:09And what are these modules?
05:10These are modules which basically thrive on love jihad.
05:15Now, love jihad is not a figment of the BJP's imagination.
05:18The left's own leader, V.S. Achuta Nandan,
05:23who was the chief minister of Kerala from 2006 to 2011,
05:26coined the term love jihad in 2010.
05:29And, Maria, like you said in your introduction,
05:33forget about whether 32,000 women are being converted forcibly
05:36or three women are being converted.
05:38That's not the moot point.
05:39The moot point is, did Tara Sehdeo, a national-level shooter,
05:45marry somebody called Ranjit Kohli?
05:47Yes.
05:48Did Ranjit Kohli hide his name?
05:50He was actually Rakipul Hasan?
05:52Yes or no?
05:53The answer is yes.
05:54Did Shraddha Valkar marry Aftab Poonawala in 2022?
05:59Aftab Poonawala pretended to be a Hindu.
06:01Shraddha Valkar ended up dead inside a refrigerator.
06:05There is the case of Amandeep Kaur,
06:07a Sikh woman who married a Muslim who was pretending to be a Hindu.
06:11Then you have the case of Vaishali Saxena, another victim of love jihad.
06:16My limited point is this, Maria.
06:19For the longest time, the Darwari ecosystem has told us,
06:23you don't like a book.
06:24Don't read it.
06:25You don't like a play.
06:26Don't go to the theatre to watch it.
06:28You don't like a poem.
06:30Don't, you know, recite it.
06:32You don't like a song.
06:33Don't listen to it.
06:34If you don't like Kerala Story 2.0, don't go to the movie theatre.
06:39Absolutely.
06:40Henry, that is my point.
06:42I mean, the Congress has been saying that Kerala Story 1 was propaganda
06:47and a kind of an attempt at narrative setting
06:50which did not really yield electoral dividends for the BJP five years ago.
06:54You feel the same about Kerala Story 2.
06:57Then why build that, you know, entire hullabaloo around it
07:03that it should not be watched?
07:05Let people decide what they want to watch.
07:08And if it is indeed a propaganda, then people will reject it.
07:15Well, the actual picture of Kerala Story as it unfolded in 2023,
07:22the tagline was that 32,000 women were recruited with ISIS through Love Dihad.
07:29That is the tagline of the movie and based on original story.
07:32And there was a case and Supreme Court verdict came in
07:36and the makers had to retake back the tagline.
07:40And they had to put out two statements saying that this is not based on factual things,
07:46it's an imaginary tale.
07:47And 32,000, the number was also taken by Grand East.
07:52So where is this basis of originality?
07:56And second thing, now Kerala Story 2 is coming in.
08:00And what is the connection with Kerala in this?
08:03The makers have exhibited, brought on stage 30 people who they claim to be original survivors of such incidents.
08:12But there was not a single Malayali in that.
08:15No Keralite.
08:16So what is the connection?
08:16Okay, so if there is no Keralite in the movie, then why name it Kerala Story?
08:21Okay, let Sanjay Warma respond to that.
08:24Why paint the entire state with the same brush?
08:27Okay.
08:29Sanjay Warma, if there is no Malayali in the film, then why call it a Kerala Story?
08:35I'm so glad this point was made by the other panelists.
08:38Do you remember?
08:40There was a hala baloo and brouhaha about a case called Hadiyah slash alias, you know, Akhila Ashokan.
08:50Akhila Ashokan became Hadiyah.
08:53Akhila Ashokan married Shafin Jahan in 2016.
08:58In 2017, the Kerala High Court annulled Akhila's marriage to Shafin Jahan at the behest of Akhila's parents.
09:07But the Supreme Court restored Akhila's marital status in 2018.
09:12Akhila Ashokan, as in Hadiyah, went around town saying Shafin Jahan is innocent.
09:17She's re-married a second time to Khalid Dastagir saying Shafin Jahan, she divorced him because he had his, you
09:27know, allegiance to ISIS.
09:29He had his allegiance to PFI.
09:32He had his allegiance to SDPI.
09:34His own right.
09:35But, but since, Ms. Varma, you're talking about Supreme Court had in fact upheld Hadiyah's right to choose her religion
09:43in marriage and had rejected the broad conspiracy claims as well.
09:49I just add, Maria, Maria, I just add that Hadiyah in court said that she had willingly converted in 2012.
09:55She converted to Islam in 2012.
09:57The case came up in 2018.
10:00Akhila Ashokan was a victim of...
10:02She is, she's on court.
10:03So, so, but, but the Supreme Court...
10:06Why are you disusing it?
10:07But Sanju Varma, but the, but the Supreme Court had emphasized personal autonomy then and had rejected the broad conspiracy
10:17claim here.
10:19Maria, I'm just pointing to one important aspect.
10:23Supreme Court restored Hadiyah's marital status, I said as much.
10:28But let's not lose sight of the roots for the tree.
10:32The limited point is Hadiyah, who swore by Shafin Jehan, actually turned on him and said she was a victim
10:40of love jihad.
10:41She said he was an ISIS recruitee.
10:44He was a PFI recruitee.
10:46That is the point I'm making.
10:47This is a classic love jihad case where a woman who was supposedly in love with a Muslim guy later
10:53said that the Muslim guy actually tortured her, victimized her.
10:57And she decided to do away with him.
11:00That is the point I'm making.
11:01She went against her parents.
11:03Okay.
11:04Let Henry Austin respond.
11:06Let Henry Austin respond.
11:08Henry Austin.
11:09I'm glad that the other panelists has brought in this case.
11:12The case is very simple.
11:13There was an allegation of forced conversion and recruitment of ISIS made by the parents of Akhila, of Hadiyah.
11:21And Hadiyah on in court admitted that she by willingly converted in 2012.
11:26The case came up in 2017.
11:29And in 2018, the SC, Supreme Court overturned a high court verdict saying that this doesn't stand.
11:36And she was allowed to continue.
11:38And I don't know if after she has deliberately divorced, she becomes a discontent party.
11:44You can make any kind of allegations.
11:46What is the credibility in that?
11:47Second thing, one more thing which I would like to say is that along with this case, no, let me
11:51continue.
11:52Along with this case, the high court, in fact, allowed the central investigating NIA to investigate two such cases.
11:59And they investigated two such cases.
12:02And in Parliament…
12:04Let him finish.
12:05Let him finish.
12:06I'm coming to you, ma'am.
12:07I'm coming to you, ma'am.
12:08Let him finish.
12:08Yes.
12:08I didn't speak while you spoke, right?
12:10Yes, please.
12:11Go ahead.
12:11And in Parliament in 2020, Mr. Benny Bahnan, MP from Kerala, he asked the question in Parliament.
12:21Is the government aware of the observation of the Kerala High Court that there is no case of love jihad
12:26in Kerala?
12:27And second, if so, any details thereof?
12:30And is there any central agency which has investigated love jihad in Kerala in the last few years and details
12:36thereof?
12:37You know the answer which was given by the Home Minister?
12:41Mr. Amit Shah, Home Minister of India, gave an answer in Parliament.
12:44No, why are you…
12:46I'm coming…
12:46I'm coming to you, Sandhu.
12:48Let him finish.
12:49Let him finish.
12:50Let him finish.
12:51I'm coming to you, ma'am.
12:51I'm coming to you.
12:52Yes, please.
12:53Go ahead.
12:54And the Home Minister of India, Mr. Amit Shah, in Parliament said that Article 25 of the Constitution provides freedom
13:00to profess, practice and propagate religion subject to public audience, morality and health.
13:06Various courts have upheld the view, including the Kerala High Court.
13:09The term love jihad is not defined under external law.
13:13No such case has been reported by central agencies.
13:17However, two cases from Kerala involving interfaith, interfaith matters have been investigated by the central agencies.
13:24No, no, no.
13:24You need to get the PhD in.
13:26Okay.
13:27Yes, I will come to you.
13:28Let him finish.
13:29I'm coming to you.
13:30Let him complete.
13:30I'm coming to you, ma'am.
13:32I'm coming to you, ma'am.
13:33I'm coming to you.
13:34Just further to this, the NIA, after investigating 11 such cases of interfaith marriages in Kerala, and they completed the
13:42investigation in 2018, and their statement says that the agency has not found any evidence to suggest that in any
13:49of these cases, either man or the woman was coerced to convert.
14:21Yes.
14:22He keeps quoting Amit Shah.
14:23He keeps quoting NIA.
14:25The same NIA has said just 18 months back that the highest number of forced conversion of Hindus and Christians
14:34in the garb of marriage happens in Kerala.
14:37The same Amit Shah has told that Kerala is a bankrupt state, you don't believe him.
14:42The same Amit Shah has said that love jihad is a harsh reality, you don't believe him.
14:46I will give you one example.
14:48This is a very, very damning example.
14:51It happened on the 18th of April, 2024.
14:54The town was Gubali, the state was Karnataka, ruled under the incompetent Congress party's head, Honcho Siddharamaya.
15:04A 24-year-old girl called Neha Hiremat was murdered in broad daylight by her classmate, a Muslim called Fayaz.
15:16And he said he did it because she refused to convert.
15:20And this is the statement of Fayaz in front of NIA.
15:25Neha Hiremat, Vaishali Saxena, Hadia Ashokan, Amandeep Kaur, Shraddha Valkar.
15:33How many more Hindu women need to find themselves inside a refrigerator before the Congress party wakes up to the
15:41fact that love jihad is a reality?
15:43And my final point, Maria, I'm not an Islamophobe.
15:47But I want to ask you one thing.
15:49When the Kashmir files came out, this entire Darbari ecosystem said,
15:54Vivek Agnihotri is dishing out figments of his imagination.
15:59What happened in 1990 when more than 5,000 Kashmiris were thrown out of their home?
16:04Is that not a reality?
16:05The brutal murder and rape of Dirija Tikku, Satish Tikku, Tikalal Taplu, Justice BK Ganju, Neel Kanjha Ganju.
16:14Okay. Sanju Ghanma, you have made your point.
16:15Ma'am, you have made your point.
16:16Are these not criminal cases?
16:18Okay.
16:19You have made your point.
16:20We'll end on that note now.
16:21Sanju Ghanma and the Congress spokesperson, Mr. Austin.
16:25Will you allow me to join us?
16:26No, we have really come to the end of this discussion, Henry Austin.
16:30Thank you for joining us.
16:32John Brittus, Rajasaba MP of the CPIM, joins me now.
16:35Mr. Brittus, you have described the Kerala story too as a septic tank film
16:42which is built on a fake narrative rather than propaganda.
16:45Do you see its title and content as an objective depiction of reality
16:50or primarily a timed stunt to polarize voters and malign Kerala during election season?
16:59Honestly, I didn't get a better vocabulary, better word than the septic tank.
17:05But if anybody can suggest there is a better title for that or an adjective for that, I would certainly
17:12look into it.
17:13I can very well say this is a garbage, predilled as facts and lies painted as truth.
17:22And all these sort of nonsense come when the elections are round the corner.
17:27And last time also, Kerala's story, one also came and the timing was to match the elections.
17:34And even the Prime Minister had no combination in promoting that movie.
17:39He exhorted the people, that's the best movie, all should watch.
17:44And naturally such garbageers get national awards this time.
17:48And I can just quote you a pronouncement of the Supreme Court.
17:53The other day only, because it happened a couple of days back.
17:57It was regarding a title of a movie, a Hindi movie.
18:00I don't know, some shows in...
18:02It's like Gooskar Pandit.
18:04So the Supreme Court's true judgment said that, see the very title is denigrating a section of the people.
18:12Maybe they meant pyramids and disease against the morality and public order.
18:18That was the stand of the Supreme Court.
18:20If for a title like that, if Supreme Court said like that, what should be the pronouncement or other statement
18:29a court of law should make regarding this Kerala story too?
18:33Okay.
18:34Which I said is a garbage.
18:36And rightly so, today the High Court of Kerala has said that this highly misleading teaser, which said that people
18:46are forcefully fed beef.
18:49And has even made it clear that it would watch the movie before giving a go-ahead for that.
18:57So there is so much of consternation, so much of discord among people because a section of the population is
19:07being demonized.
19:08A state asset is being tarnished and the Balayalis are Balai.
19:13Okay.
19:14But Mr. Brittas, given Kerala's high literacy rate and you have already said that Kerala's story one did not have
19:21any traction, then why do you feel that this one will influence voters or the BJP will be able to
19:27cash in politically this election cycle?
19:33See, even if a confusion is created amongst a small section of people, that will have far-reaching impact on
19:41the social fabric.
19:42See, Kerala is one state where we have peaceful coexistence of different communities.
19:49There are three major legions here.
19:52Hindu community, Muslim community, Christian community.
19:55And there has been no incident of communal violence in this state for so many decades.
20:00Not any serious incident.
20:02And unlike other states, there is no hate and hatred amongst these communities.
20:07So, the relentless effort that is being unleashed to create or to creep in some sort of a suspicion amongst
20:16different sections, that is something which we are completely aware of.
20:21That's why we say that we need to have so much of awareness amongst the people because there is a
20:27diabolic game that is at play.
20:28That's why all this comes in the form of cultural invasions, films and other stuff like that.
20:35So, though we are resisting the one slot, even if you create confusion amongst a small section of people, it
20:43can have far-reaching impact.
20:46All right, John Brittus, Member of Parliament of the CPIM, thank you for joining us and sharing your views.
20:53That's all from me.
20:54We are putting out this entire discussion on our website and also on our YouTube channel.
20:58Thanks so much for watching and I'll be seeing you tomorrow.
21:00Bye.
21:01Bye.
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