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The Kerala Story Movie Review

Name: The Kerala Story Movie Review
Item: The Kerala Story
Rating: 2.5
Author: Smitha Joseph

The Kerala Story Movie Review Malayalam Movie Review

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Review for the film " The Kerala Story"

Streaming On: Zee 5

Runtime: 02 Hour 18 Minutes

Certificate: A

Released: 12-05-2023

OTT Release: 16-02-2024

Genre: Drama

Similar To: Silence 2, Samosa & Sons, Amar Singh Chamkila, Tom Dick And Harry Returns

Critic Review
User Review

2.5 / 5.0

3.50 / 5.0

CAST & CREW

Chandra Shekhar Dutta

Eleena Koul

Pranav Misshra

Pranay Pachauri

Usha Subramanian Saksena

Vijay Krishna

Angana Sen

Prasantanu Mohapatra

Adah Sharma

Bhavna Makhija

Saniya Mir

Siddhi Idnani

Sonia Balani

Yogita Bihani

Sudipto Sen

Sanjay Sharma

Viresh Sreevalsa

Vipul Amrutlal Shah

MORE CAST & CREW

Producer:

Vipul Amrutlal Shah

Music Director:

Viresh Sreevalsa

Editor:

Sanjay Sharma

Director:

Sudipto Sen

Supporting Actress:

Adah Sharma

Yogita Bihani

Siddhi Idnani

Sonia Balani

Bhavna Makhija

Saniya Mir

Director of Photography:

Prasantanu Mohapatra

Production Designer:

Angana Sen

Supporting Actor:

Pranav Misshra

Chandra Shekhar Dutta

Usha Subramanian Saksena

Vijay Krishna

Eleena Koul

Pranay Pachauri

Click Here For Full Cast & Crew

The Kerala Story is a Hindi-language film released in 2023. The director of the film, Sudipto Sen Bio coming soon... >> Read More... , offers his commentary on the religious and political landscape of the country, with a focus on the state of Kerala. It stars Adah Sharma Adah Sharma is an Indian actress and a model. She >> Read More... , Yogita Bihani Yogita Bihani is an Indian television actress who >> Read More... , Siddhi Idnani Siddhi Idnani is an Indian-origin actor who primar >> Read More... , and Sonia Balani Sonia Balani is a young notable TV Actress. She wa >> Read More... in lead roles. Sudipto Sen wrote the film along with Suryapal Singh Suryapal Singh was a famous screenwriter & lyricis >> Read More... and Vipul Amrutlal Shah With big banners scouting for good scripts, Vipul >> Read More... . The latter was also the producer. The cinematography was done by Prasantanu Mohapatra.

Plot

The film starts by narrating the story of Shalini Unnikrishnan (played by Adah Sharma), a young woman living in Kerala. She speaks about how she aspired to become a nurse and worked hard for it. However, when she joined college, she fell in with the wrong sort of people. They pretended to be her friends but slowly began to coerce her into converting to Islam and joining the Islamic state.

Shalini, who later took the name Fatima Ba, tells a horror-filled narrative of her conversion, the things she saw upon converting and being married, and how she ended up in prison in Afghanistan.

The filmmakers of The Kerala Story claim that the film is a real and accurate account of the atrocities and terrors that are committed in the state of Kerala by the Islamic state. According to the film, over 32000 women from Hindu and Christian communities have suffered the same relentless fate as Fatima Ba. However, this figure has been proven inaccurate.

Star Performance

The leads of this film, Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani, and Sonia Balani have all done a commendable job in their respective roles.

However, the star of this film is Adah Sharma, who brings a genuineness to her character that tugs at the heartstrings of the audience. She nails the aspects of desperation and hopelessness in the portrayal of a character that is helpless to her own life and circumstances.

Analysis

The Kerala Story claims to be an accurate account of the events in Kerala. However, it is not so.

The film certainly talks about an important issue, one that perhaps does not receive enough coverage in the world of cinema. There is a huge number of girls and youngsters who are taken advantage of at their tender age and radicalized into joining terrorist organizations against their will. And oftentimes, it is their supposed “friends” who end up making them complicit in these crimes. The Kerala Story brings this very important issue to light. However, the narrative and the execution are poorly done.

The film almost begs the audience to hate a particular community, without giving an valid explanation of things. The story is unobjective and exaggerated, which is the wrong way to go about a topic as sensitive as this one.

The numbers and statistics given in the film have been disproven as well.

Although the film covers a critical issue, the execution falls short. Awareness can be brought about in a better, more sensitive manner, without spreading misinformation. While the plot of the film is solid and intriguing, it also seems hateful, extreme and unnecessary due to lack of objectivity.

What’s There?

Good acting
Important theme

What’s Not There?

Factually wrong and spreads misinformation
Unbalanced and extreme

Verdict

The Kerala Story covers a relevant issue, but the film falls short due to its extremism and unbalanced viewpoints. However, it remains exceptionally politically relevant, and should be watched at least once.