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Beyond the Screen: Why ‘The Kerala Story’ Film Brings Attention to the Urgent Issue of Radicalisation and Women Trafficking

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Sudipto Sen released the highly anticipated trailer for his film “The Kerala Story” on April 26th, 2023. The movie features Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani, and Siddhi Idnani in the lead roles. It was produced and creatively directed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah. Based on true stories, it depicts how Islamists in Kerala systematically enticed Hindu and Christian girls into “love jihad”. They w ere then trafficked them to Iraq and Syria to become ISIS terrorists. The film will release on May 5th, 2023, in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam languages.

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Innocent Girls To Terrorists

“The Kerala Story” is a retelling of the tragic stories of women from Kerala who ISIS radicalised and recruited. It’s worth noting that many of the women from Kerala who joined ISIS were converted to Islam from Hinduism and Christianity. The intention was of sending them to the terrorist group.

Adah Sharma portrays the lead character, Shalini Unnikrishnan, in the movie. The trailer begins with a breathtaking view of Kerala’s landscape, establishing Shalini’s character. It then introduces Shalini’s Hindu family through visuals.

The scene cuts to officers interrogate her for working with ISIS. Shalini responds to the officers, stating, “it’s more important to know why and how I joined ISIS than when I joined.”

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The Entrapment

The trailer proceeds to illustrate how Hindu girls are deliberately lured into “love jihad” and coerced into converting to Islam. The movie portrays how this deceptive strategy involves denigrating Hindu and Christian gods, glorifying the burkha and hijab as a means of safeguarding a woman’s dignity. The idea is instilled in their minds the idea that only Allah can be worshipped. Impregnating non-Muslim girls so that they marry the pre-planted Muslim lover to avoid social stigma, and featuring the role of Muslim clerics in the radicalisation process.

The movie trailer depicts how girls who were converted through this technique are then transported to Middle Eastern countries afflicted by ISIS. The guise of employment or through direct brainwashing for jihad is applied. The converted girls from Kerala were exploited by terrorists for various terrorist activities. Many were also forced into sexual slavery.

Hate For Exposing The Truth

The trailer for “The Kerala Story” is a powerful and straightforward representation of the shocking events that occurred in Kerala. The film promises to be a genuine and unbiased account of the tragedy. Despite the topic being one that most people might shy away from, producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah was determined to bring this horrifying story to the big screen. Vipul backed it by four years of extensive research. Director Sudipto Sen visited the region, including some Arab nations, spoke with locals and victims’ families. He was stunned by what he discovered.

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It is noteworthy that in November 2022, when the teaser was released, Congress demanded a ban on the film. The party’s leader VD Satheesan claimed that the film spreads false information and should be prohibited.

Truth Cannot Be Silenced

Radical Islam has taken a deep hold in Kerala, with a significant number of centers dedicated to radicalization, conversion, and recruitment operating without attracting the attention of the national media or focusing on the problem. This is a serious concern that cannot be ignored. In the post-ISIS world, the use of women as tools and weapons, whether through sexual slavery or terrorism recruitment, is no longer a secret. It is crucial for both state and federal governments to take this issue seriously and come up with effective solutions to address it. With the upcoming release of “The Kerala Story,” there is hope that this significant issue will become a topic of popular discourse.

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