Saniya
The Kerala Story is a recently released right-wing propaganda film which claims to expose large numbers of ISIS recruitments consisting of brainwashed and forcefully converted Hindu and Christian women from Kerala. The movie revolves around three girls from Kerala who were coerced into converting to Islam and joining ISIS. The film has been heavily promoted by the BJP and the RSS, encouraging free screenings in colleges and theatres to ‘make young and vulnerable Hindu girls beware of such traps set by perverted
Muslim men’.
The Kerala Story has been called out for its false statistics, mistranslations, false tropes, and its attempts at furthering communal disharmony by vilifying Muslims. The trailer description of the
film was changed from the story of 32,000 women to that of three after questions were raised regarding its accuracy. The teaser also cited a former Kerala CM’s interview, where his words were translated wrongly. Tropes like ‘Love Jihad’ not only portray Muslim men as lustful manipulators but also
show Hindu women as easily brainwashed. An investigation conducted by the NIA in 2018 examined
cases of religious conversions in Kerala and concluded that there was no angle of ‘Love Jihad’ in these conversions.
On facing legal challenges, the director acknowledged that all the figures in the movie were inauthentic and confessed that the film presented a “fictionalized account” of real-life events. The term
“fictionalised account” suggests that there are factual events that serve as a basis, but the film dramatizes them in a way that deviates from specific details but aims to capture the essence of those events. The film hence presents not a fictionalised account, rather a manipulated account of an isolated event, depicted as a trend. Data from various sources like the Bureau of Counter-Terrorism and the Observer Research Foundation show that the extent of ISIS involvement in India has been very minimal compared to other
countries, despite the large Muslim population.
It is important to note that the ruling class uses many such propaganda methods to divert the attention of the public from issues that plague them, instead such films divide them on the lines of identity. We must collectively fight against such propaganda that aims to divide the people for the benefits of the ruling party.
