Supreme Court and Madras High Court Refuse To Ban "The Kerala Story" Movie Citing That The Market Will Decide Its Fate

Earlier today, the Supreme Court refused to entertain a petition challenging the film board certification granted to the movie. It also refused to direct the Kerala High Court to hear the appeals as a priority. Pointing out that the certification has already been given, a bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said, "You must think of the actors, producer... they have all put in their labour. You must be very careful about staying films. The market will decide if it is not up to the mark".

The film, starring Adah Sharma, is written and directed by Sudipto Sen, and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah. A promo of the film that claimed 32,000 women from Kerala had joined ISIS has been changed to "true stories of three young girls from different parts of Kerala," after the film's producers faced criticism for wrongly projecting facts.

The controversy surrounding "The Kerala Story" highlights the complex issues of freedom of speech and expression, communal harmony, and responsible filmmaking. While filmmakers have the right to tell their stories, they also have a responsibility to ensure that their work does not cause harm or spread hatred in society. The certification process by the film board is meant to ensure that films do not offend any section of society or promote any kind of discrimination or violence. In this case, it remains to be seen whether the film will meet these standards and whether it will have any impact on communal harmony in Kerala and beyond.