A group of Muslim protesters disrupted a Bollywood film screening on Friday because the production apparently destroys “religious harmony,” as the piece appears to depict an Indian state that serves as a center for Islamic terrorism and forced conversions, per The Times.
The Muslim group that caused the disturbance was reportedly led by Shakeel Afsar, a Kashmiri independence activist, who claimed, during a 10-minute video published by 5Pillars, that the film was propaganda pushed by India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an apparent right-wing Hindu nationalist organization.
The Kerala Story’s teaser trailer was criticized for suggesting that the film reveals the “heart-breaking and gut-wrenching stories of 32,000 females” who were apparently forced to convert to Islam and subsequently become terrorists for the Islamic State, per the report. However, this proposition has been challenged by Alt News, which has suggested that there is no evidence to support the claim.
According to The Times, a US State Department report concluded that there were “66 known Indian-origin fighters affiliated” with ISIS, as of November 2020. But this information seemed to contradict the findings by the National Investigation Agency in India, which stated that it had arrested 168 people that were involved in 37 cases “of terror attacks, conspiracy, and funding,” all of which was allegedly inspired by ISIS ideology, as of September 2021.
Though the filmmakers did decide to remove the trailer, they insisted that the film was based on years-long research and true events.
In the ten-minute video, Afsar can be heard claiming that the “film is lies,” adding that this “film is made to divide us. We have lived together for many years… Narendra Modi (the prime minister of India) has endorsed this film.”
He continued: “An extremist has endorsed this film. We will not allow it.”
As a result, the staff at Cineworld, where the film was being shown, were forced to put the production on pause. Audience members can be seen confronting the activists, insisting that they leave, per the Daily Mail.
Security also appeared at the scene, with one theater attendant saying that “if you’re not going to be quiet, we are not going to stop this film again.”
“If you want to watch this film you should calm down first. I am going to resume this film.”
“We're trying to deal with this in the best way we can,” insisted the attendant. “We've paused the film, we've turned the lights on, we've called the police.”
