'The Kerala Story', starring Adah Sharma in the lead role has been in the headlines for controversial reasons ever since its trailer was released. Even now when the film has hit the theatres, controversy and criticism surrounding the film refused to die down. And, most recently, a group of Muslim activists in Birmingham stormed a screening of 'The Kerala Story', asking the cinema owners to stop the movie. The activists claimed that the film destroys 'religious harmony'.
As reported by Daily Mail, On Friday, a group of protesters led by Shakeel Afsar, a Kashmiri activist, disrupted the screening of Adah Sharma's headlined film at a Cineworld theatre in Birmingham. British Muslim news website '5Pillars' posted a 10-minute clip that showed Afsar with a group of demonstrators entering the cinema and causing the film to be paused. Afsar along with others was seen asking to speak to the cinema manager about the 'Islamophobic' nature of the film. ALSO READ: Adah Sharma REACTS To People Calling ‘The Kerala Story’ A Propaganda Film: ‘Google ISIS and Brides, Might Make You Feel Our Indian Movie Is Real’
The report added that the staff at the Cineworld was forced to pause the screening as mayhem broke out. People who had come to watch the film confronted the activists and asked them to leave. The protestors were ejected by the security personnel. A theatre attendant then told the audience, “If you want to watch this film, you should calm down first. I am going to resume this film. We're trying to deal with this in the best way we can. We've paused the film, we've turned the lights on, we've called the police.”
A few weeks ago, the Kerala Story’ got banned in West Bengal with Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee, calling it a “distorted movie” which aims at defaming the southern state. Directed by Sudipto Sen, the film narrates a fictional story of a group of women from Kerala who are coerced into converting to Islam, and go on to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. It was released on 5th May and is performing well at the box office.