Debate Settled: Should You watch this Movie - The Kerala Story?

Updated: 11th May 2023.

How the secularists got The Kerala Story all wrong and why the students must watch this story.

Hello my dear Chai-buddies! Hope you are doing great! In the last blog, we spoke about some ways of beating the summer blues and watching movies was one of them. After watching this movie, here's my take on the film. And I am sharing this from the perspective of a student, so that you can decide for yourself and settle your inner debate about whether or not you should watch this movie. And before I begin today's blog - a small note of disclaimer: I am not against any human being; but I will always stand against threats to humanity irrespective of whichever religion one belongs to.

 

The movie plot.

Since I would love for you to watch this movie in the theatres, I didn't want to ruin the fun for you. But, today morning I found out that this movie is banned in Bengal and movie theatres are abstaining from screening it in Chennai. Why? So, I decided to talk about it - since no one yet has or can put a ban on blogging. And if they do so - my vote will take away your seats! 

This story is about a girl: Shalini UnniKrishnan who wanted to be a nurse and gets admitted to Government college of Nursing to pursue her dreams. Waiting for here was her doomie, in the form of her roomie, who is practically a women recruiter of militant groups operating in the guise of a student. That person is a perfect example showing how a women is a women's worst enemy in certain cases. This story describes how using various tactics, such grooming of youths is conducted by these militant terror groups. And how unsuspecting and brainwashed youths are taken to war posts such as in Syria. This story then follows the spine chilling story of Shalini or Fatima Ba, her daily ordeals with these people where all her dreams and hopes of life shatter day in day out and how she finally ends up in Afghanistan prison. With only hopes of returning back to her family and seeing her loved ones - just for once in this life time. 

After watching this movie, and seeing a lot of attempts to ban this movie, I realised that it is a very important movie to be watched, at least by the student community and women at large. In this blog, we will learn why it is so important.

If you are in that part of India or across the world where this movie isn't screened, and you understand Hindi, you can watch the story narrated here: https://youtu.be/vN42cQH_paY

1. Are we truly a part of a secular community?

Recently, a politician feared attacks on so called "peaceful minority community" from "majority supremacy" and requested majority groups to ensure their protection. The politician requested that these "peaceful innocent people" be protected and their rights be respected during majority group's religious celebrations. However, when these "so called peaceful groups" actually vandalised idols and property of these "war-prone majority groups" who were pretty much minding their own business and carrying out their festivities within their own homes, the politician tried to cover that up and indirectly blamed the "majority group" for the mishap. And this isn't just one instance. And this isn't the story of one state within India alone. When we say secular - it means every one (each and every person without exception) must respect others irrespective of their religion. Then why is it so, that only some so-called minority groups feel that their religious principles must be adhered to and respected with all due regards irrespective of the fact that their community members time and again disrespect people from other communities? And how come these elected politicians extend their blinded one sided support towards a fragment of the society, even when they are clearly at fault. Is it truly secularism? 

Moving outside India, let's talk of the UK. Recent reports highlight two cases: one of Pakistani men grooming British women to exploit them in various ways. In this case, the ministers may have been turning a blind eye and been delusional in fears of being labelled as racist! And the other - of Muslim students outrageously harassing Hindu students and urging them to convert to Islam. These incidents are happening inside educational institutions! Now, if calling a spade a spade is a crime, are you willing to refrain from committing this crime, when humanity at large is at stake? 

Now imagine what would have happened had these crimes been committed by a Hindu? It wouldn't have taken moments before they would have been labelled as anti-social elements within the country itself by "self-proclaimed advocates of secularism" and India would have received "concerning emails" from educated whites world-wide! 

So, when people (critics that is) say that the movie Kerala Story would destroy harmony and targets secularism; against the backdrop of exodus of Kashmiri Pundits, militant recuitments, Pulwama attacks, countless massacres, I would want every one to take a moment to ask themselves: Do we at all live in a secular world? Is the brunt of secularism to be borne by one community alone? Why is that so?

2. Is this movie about Islam and Muslim minorities are targeted?

Many would say that the movie - The Kerala Story would spark religious rows between Hindus and Muslims, which may take violent turn. Here is a thing. When we talk about issues like:

• teaching our kids not to go with strangers if they come on the pretext that they are being sent by parents of the respective kid and they know them well or that they are in hospitals, etc.
• teaching our kids to remain vigilant against miscreants 
• being alert of behavioural patterns and observing any anomaly in behaviour to nab suicide tendencies or drug addictions etc. 

and we don't have any problem then why can't we talk about issues like training our children how to understand if someone is trying to manipulate, brainwash and groom them for something deeply heinous? Isn't it an important aspect of 21st century to ensure the safety of our children, especially when they are away from parents and connected to a global world via social media 24*7? Especially when they are in their impressionable years and hence might be vulnerable towards ideologies! And who would grow up to be the future generation and therefore must have a sound decision making capability to operate on their own and look after themselves and their surroundings well enough. 

Islam and Muslims are co-incidental connections to the story. Nowhere within the movie has it even for once been mentioned that such manipulative crimes are only and only conducted by Muslims against Hindus. Why can't The Kerala Story be seen as an educational means to understand how such under cover propaganda operates, what is their modus-operandi, how incidents can be staged and how people can play with your emotions? If watching a Bollywood movie of a playboy isn't wrong as it helps understand the tactics of playboys, then neither should be The Kerala Story which displays how women's emotional vulnerabilities are being played with in the name of love and religion. And rather it is quite informative as it is indeed a collective representation of various tactics deployed by these 'recruitment' agents in various guises. And this isn't for one single terror organisation alone. It can be used by Human traffickers, a similar tactics was used in games inducing suicide or in any other form of persuasive socio-economic crimes.

As parents - Would you not be willing to make your children aware of what can exist behind such polished demeanour and goody-goody talks and looks. Would you not be willing to train your kid to be able to identify threats first-hand. If Shalini would have been smart enough, and reported the incidents to proper authorities, may be an entire gang would have been nabbed. Or are you willing to comply and cry later yet do nothing about it, thinking that well, it's not me, it's my kid who is suffering! As students, don't you think that such awareness is essential, especially when you move out of your house and live in hostels?

So, no. The Kerala Story intentionally doesn't target Muslims or Islam or any minority community. It never says things like - only Muslims are bad and therefore everyone must boycott their Muslim colleagues and friends. In fact, terror or criminals against humanity have no religion at all. But if the creator of the problem is a Muslim group, well, the Kerala Story just did what it says - told a story of their actions and showed what happens with the victims. So, instead of telling others to shut up, if this is indeed a problem among some radicalised fragments, then in my opinion, they should redeem themselves and their ways instead of expecting everyone else to shut up and not share - Their Story or Files.

3. Why do you think people are being afraid of this movie and who are these people?

These movie is declared Tax-free in some states, while others are calling for and some have declared a ban on the movie. But who are these people, who are afraid of the movie and why? Let's look at some points.

• Vote Banking Politicians - Some politicians have primarily "peaceful communities" as their major vote-banks. And some "Peaceful Communities" in India operate on the principle that: we are all good, and nothing bad must be stated against us. Doing so will have: "Sar tan se juda". Otherwise, if you abide by our "holy way of life" we are "peaceful people" only.                    Well, for married people, their wives may be wrong once in a life time and say sorry, but these "peaceful people" - they are never wrong. And so, the politicians no more remain as leaders of people, but end up being mere puppets of these "peace agents". And hence, they need to protect their vote banks by complying to every demand of Mr. and Mrs. Peace.
• "Secularist People" - Oh my God! Hindus! Such cheap, dirty, disgraceful people with no culture. Look at the rest of the world - we mean all these peaceful minority communities across the globe who made India their home. Thank God they came, Else, who would have taught the Indian Hindus How to dress - HOW TO WALK!, Etiquettes to talk. Cooking. Cleaning. Aesthetics. My God. What does India have of it's own - had it not had such "Peaceful Arrivals" of such progressive minds!:                                                                                                                    These are narratives used by some "Intellectually Pseudo Seculars" to not just defame India but also to glorify India's invaders. And for some absurd reasons which have no logical explanations or arguments, they want to paint a picture in which all the invaders where heroes and are the current victims, while the natives of the motherland who have actually been tortured and displaced were actually facing their Karma! As per their theory, the "peaceful minorities" must be protected at all costs even when they stick out a sword to slit your throat and instead of calling it violence one must call it adjustments made for secularism! Why? If a Hindu commits a crime, their entire brigade is ready to punish them so much so that they don't even have the patience to wait for the judiciaries and legal boards to state their verdicts, and take law in their hands. But in majority of the cases, when there is a "Peace Agent" involved, they be like: You can't call him / her a criminal just because they are "Peaceful". Well, Madam, Sir, just like a terrorist will unleash terror, a Peace Agent will unleash Peace. Isn't it a logical thing to understand? But may be admitting you are wrong will harm your pride - after all, you are NEVER WRONG, just like the ones you support, isn't it!
• Secular Half Baked YouTubers calling out this film as a fake propaganda film; citing 32000 is an imaginative figure which have been used only for unnecessary hypes and that the film is an attempt to defame the state of Kerala.  I would recommend my readers to watch this video of Dr. Rizwan Ahmed where he has given pretty befitting counter reply based upon facts and analysis. To note that No Seculars were harmed while he made his video; neither He as an Indian Well Educated Muslim was offended by the Kerala Story.                                                                
• Oh the scared ones - Well, I truly don't blame this group at all. They may have experienced or are scared to experience violence at the hands of Mr. Peace and hence they are genuinely scared that if a row breaks out, they and their families may be sprinkled by some Peace sauce. 

So, now I hope you are intelligent enough to make your decision. 

4. Why is this movie important for students to watch?

 Just as I mentioned earlier, being aware of tactics used by anyone to manipulate, brain-wash and trap you in heinous groups that can ruin your life altogether is a very important factor. 

Grooming by militant bodies within educational institutions is a real issue with a rising concern. This process involves slowly building a relationship with an individual and manipulating them into accepting extremist beliefs and ideologies. The grooming process can take weeks, months, or even years, during which the groomer tries to build a sense of trust and belonging with the individual.

Groups like ISIS has targeted students in educational institutions for recruitment purposes, as they are often impressionable and vulnerable to manipulation. Students are usually in their formative years, trying to figure out their identity, beliefs, and values. They are often at a crossroads, looking for direction and guidance. These recruiters take advantage of this vulnerability and try to lure students into their fold. They often target students who are socially isolated or have a weak support system. They offer a sense of community, belonging, and purpose, which can be appealing to those who feel lost or alone. They lure them under the false promises of life full of adventure, holy purpose and fulfilment and more often than not, present a Utopian image of life which India cannot satisfy, in order to coax them into travelling abroad. So, if you are someone planning to study abroad, you must watch this movie to be well aware of their techniques, as then, without your support system you would indeed be emotionally vulnerable and might be their target.

These groups use a variety of techniques to lure vulnerable students into joining their ranks. From Social media to Online forums to Common grounds of friends or family members to Financial incentives; they can use any tactics. This story depicts brilliantly one method of such indoctrination. So, it is important for students to watch this movie. In today's globalised small world, where we are connected with people and opportunities across the globe, being aware of such activities, and spotting such patterns right at the bud is critical for one's safety. Once your life is ruined, no one knows of the consequences. But as you heard - prevention is better than cure. Awareness of these techniques can save your life of grave consequences indeed. Also, you may be able to save others who might be such victims by following behavioural patterns some of which can include (but is not restricted to):

• Sudden increased social media activity: If a student suddenly begins to spend a lot of time on social media, this could be a sign that they are being groomed.
• Changes in behaviour: If a student suddenly changes their behaviour or becomes withdrawn, this could be a sign that they are being groomed. 
• Radicalization: If a student begins to express extremist views or beliefs, this could be a sign that they are being groomed.
• Sudden interest in religion: If a student suddenly becomes very interested in religion, this could be a sign that they are being groomed.

Keep in mind that these signs aren't sure-shot signs and could have various facets. One may have increased social media activity as one is either working around social media or talking to their family or loved ones. One may have an interest in religion due to research or study. But, being aware of these signs can indeed go a long way in ensuring safety. So, alertness can definitely save one from bigger issues later on rather than regretting. 

And in case you happen to identify such concerns, you must know that you need to inform the authorities including parents of the concerned person or your own parents accordingly and deal with this matter with utmost sensitivity. Never directly confront any student who is a victim as it may not lead to fruitful outcome and might have devastating consequences. It requires a balanced use of counselling and tact to extract as much information as possible and un-entangle the person from such devil's grips.  

So, now you understand, why The Kerala Story is an important story for everyone to watch especially for students. With girls going missing every twenty minutes, this story sheds light into one critical reason for such disastrous event. And being aware that it isn't about one community alone, but tactics that can be used by any community to lure you into something truly troublesome that can potentially ruin everything for you is a vital aspect. This is exactly what The Kerala Story does.  

With near 70 crore collection so far, it showcases that India and Indians aren't asleep anymore and people are willing to watch such movies which showcases reality, which speaks people's stories, and such movies can be successful even without hyped up names from B-town. So, are you going to watch this movie before it gets banned completely? What's your take? 

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. While you're at it, could you greet me with a hello by checking out the items on my wish list? Your support means the world to me, and it would be fantastic to have you join in on this journey.

I will see you in my next. Until then, may be this would be your chai-pe-charcha topic where you discuss life over chai or coffee.