Vipul Amrutlal Shah Reacts To Controversy Around 'The Kerala Story'

Vipul Amrutlal Shah's next film, 'The Kerala Story', has already courted controversy before its release. Directed by Sudipto Sen, the film, starring Adah Sharma, claimed many young women in Kerala are being brainwashed into joining terror organisations. A teaser for the film, released in November, was criticised for carrying inaccurate facts about the number of women, who might have been involved in these kinds of situations.

In the teaser, Adah's character, Shalini Unnikrishnan, is seen wearing a burkha. She could be seen stating, "Now I am Fatima Ba, an IS terrorist in a jail in Afghanistan." She also added that '32,000 girls' have also been recruited and converted like her. After the release of the film, a few politicians from Kerala shared that the film should be banned, while a journalist wrote to the chief minister asking for an inquiry.

In an interview with a leading daily, Vipul acknowledged the feedback on the film.

"We will address the accusations in due time. Nothing we say will be without evidence. When we present our facts and figures, people will get the answers. Whether they choose to accept them or not is their choice. Director Sudipto Sen researched extensively for four years before starting the film," he said.

He added, "We are making a film on a big tragedy. If I feel that I want to tell this story as a filmmaker, then, the discussion on whether I am pro-establishment or not will only reflect an individual's point of view. As a filmmaker, I only think of stories that touch my heart and move me enough to want to narrate them."