After the success of The Kerala Story, filmmaker Sudipto Sen is presenting his highly anticipated film Bastar: The Naxal Story. The film featuring Adah Sharma in the lead role released in cinemas on Friday. Bastar tells the story of challenging terrain of Naxalism and aims to unravel its origins and repercussions, albeit with a predominantly simplistic portrayal. The story of Bastar is rooted in the historical context of the Bastar rebellion, which originated in 1910 in today’s Chhattisgarh.

The Terrorism drama has received mixed reactions from the audiences. Some fans praised the film while others called it brutal and disturbing. Twitter users and fans began to comment on Bastar and reviews started pouring in on social media shortly after the release of the film in cinemas.

One social media user Tarun said Bastar: The Naxal Story is a must watch. He said the audience should watch this film to understand the leftist ecosystem in India. He said the film helps the viewers to understand how Naxalites and Urban Naxals work in tandem.

He said the film shows snakes hidden in India disguised as political leaders, activists, social workers, intellectuals, university professors, authors, journalists, lawyers, judges. He said the film helps the viewers to understand who the real enemies are. He said Bastar tells the truth about a subject which no other filmmaker has dared to touch.

Tarun said Bastar is based on joint Anti naxal operation of CRPF, Chhattisgarh Police and Salwa Judum (State sponsored civilian anti naxal movement) during 2009-13 in Chhattisgarh and Supreme Court hearing to ban Salwa Judum filed by Urban naxal Nalini Sundar.

The film is fast passed and the audience does not get time to blink their eyes. He said the background music of the film is awesome and the cinematography is very good. He said the film has graphic violence.  

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Director Sudipto Sen and producer Vipul Shah, the makers of the Kerala Story, have announced their next project Bastar. According to the filmmakers, Bastar is based on true incident and is scheduled to release on April 5, 2024. The film’s poster shows shows a forest amidst huge clouds of smoke. A red flag on one side and rifle on the other side was also seen in the poster.

Film enthusiasts commented on the tweet shared by Sunshine pictures, announcing the next project. One fan requested the makers to cast Vidyut Jamwal in the film. Another fan said he will be eagerly waiting for the film to release. The fan hoped that this movie will be equally hard hitting in terms of exposing the truth. He congratulated the team in staying united in facing the industry backlash for the Kerala Story.

The Kerala Story, which released on May 5 2023, is written and directed by Sudipto Sen. The Kerala Story stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani in lead roles. It is produced by Vipul Shah and crossed 200 crores at the box office. The controversy on the Kerala story started since its trailer release. The film had claimed that more than 32000 women from Kerala has been converted to Islam and had joined the terrorist organization ISIS. Later the figure was deleted from the trailer.

The Kerala Story sparked a political row with many calling it a propaganda film. Celebrities’ like Kangana Ranaut, Ram Gopal Verma and Vivek Agnihotri came out in its defence. On the other hand, some celebrities’ like Naseeruddin Shah and Kamal Haasan expressed their displeasure with the film. The West Bengal government briefly banned the screening of the film.

Talking to the media, Sudipto Sen said no political party should have spoken against the Kerala story. He expressed that he had never prepared for the backlash. He said he was prepared for the reaction and opposition. He asserted that he never expected a political debate on the subject.

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The Kerala Story landed in a soup ever since its teaser release last year. The Sudipto Sen’s film recently hit the silver screen and has left the audience divided. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioning the film during his election rally, Madhya Pradesh declared it tax-free. While West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee banned the film from screening in the state.

However, the Bengal BJP women’s wing held a special screening of The Kerala Story on Wednesday despite a ban on the film, reports said. The announcement was made by the state head of the BJP’s Mahila Morcha, Falguni Patra.

Speaking to the media, Patra took a dig at CM Banerjee and said The Kerala Story is based on true events but the CM does not want the truth to be exposed. She claimed that people are excited to watch the film after it was banned in West Bengal and the film is being circulated through multiple platforms on social media.

On Monday, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee banned the controversial film. She said the decision was taken to prevent any incident of hatred and violence in the state. Calling the film a distorted story, she also urged people to maintain peace in the state.

Following the ban, film producer Vipul Shah said the makers will take legal action against the move and fight under the provisions of the law.

Union Minister of State for Rural Development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti also slammed CM Banerjee and said the CM should take a lesson and urge youth to know about the atrocities taking place in the country. Moreover, the makers of the film have already moved to the Supreme Court challenging the ban on The Kerala Story in West Bengal.

Last week, the Kerala High Court refused to stay the release of the film stating that a secular society will accept the film for what it is.

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The makers of The Kerala Story claimed that India had been in “denial” of the existence of the “long existing issue” in Kerala as the controversial film was released in over 200 theatres in the United States and Canada on Friday.

Speaking to a group of Indian American reporters during a virtual presser, Sudipto Sen, the director of the polarising film called  The Kerala Story a “mission” and a “movement” which must reach masses across the world to raise awareness.

Sen claimed that India had been in denial of the “long existing issue” in Kerala and his film is the first to shed light on the subject.

The film’s producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah voiced similar thoughts saying that the subject that is “exposed’ in The Kerala Story has been hidden from the people and deserved to be told, adding that they made the movie to initiate a worldwide deliberation on the Kerala issue.

Vipul Shah termed The Kerala Story a “very bold, honest and true” film that got no support in the beginning but has witnessed blockbuster-level success within a mere week of its release and now stands on the verge of a worldwide release.

‘The Kerala Story’ has sparked a massive controversy since its first trailer—which claimed that 32,000 women from the state were converted to Islam and recruited by global terror group Islamic State—  hit the screens in November last year.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who has vehemently opposed the film, recently termed it as a “deliberately produced” piece of Sangh Parivar propaganda aimed to create communal divide and spread hatred among Hindus and Muslims in the state.

The film was issued an ‘A’ certificate by the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and told to delete 10 scenes, including an interview with a former chief minister of Kerala, ahead of its theatrical release.

The BJP has vociferously backed the Sudipto Sen directorial with even Prime Minister Narendra Modi praising the film for “exposing a terror conspiracy” and accusing the Congress of “siding with terrorists” and trying to appease them for political gain by opposing the film’s release.

BJP chief ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Yogi Adityanath have declared the film tax-free in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, respectively.

Meanwhile, the opposition has vehemently opposed the Adah Sharma-starrer, dubbing it as a piece of Sangh Parivar-backed propaganda piece aimed to stir communal tensions and polarize the BJP’s vote bank ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha polls.

On Monday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee banned the screening of the controversial Bollywood film in the state, while on May 7 (Sunday), multiplexes in Tamil Nadu had stopped screenings of the ‘The Kerala Story’ citing law and order threats and poor response to the movie from the audience in the southern state.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear a plea challenging the Kerala High Court’s interim order which refused to ban the release of Adah Sharma-starrer. The hearing is listed on May 15.

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee banned the controversial film, The Kerala Story, in the state on Monday. Helmed by Sudipto Sen, the film stars Adah Sharma, Siddhi Idnani, Yogita Bihani, and Sonia Balani in lead roles and has triggered a massive debate on social media regarding its credibility.

Speaking to the media, CM Banerjee said the West Bengal government has decided to ban The Kerala Story to avoid any incident of hatred and violence and to maintain peace in the state.

She also called the film a distorted story.

The Kerala Story producer Vipul Shah reacts to the ban

Reacting to the pan, the film’s producer Vipul Shah decided to take legal action against the move and said the makers will fight whatever is possible under the provisions of the law.

Meanwhile, The Kerala Story’s release was halted in theatres of Tamil Nadu. President of Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners Association, M Subramaniam, said the locally-owned multiplexes decided not to show the film as it does not feature any popular star. He said the film did not do well in a few districts following which theatres decided to pull it down as it is not worth the threat of protests.

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Madhya Pradesh announces The Kerala Story tax-free

Last week, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made the film tax-free. In a video, CM Chouhan said the film exposed the horrific truth of terrorism and how the life of daughters are trapped by love jihad. He said the film exposed the design of terrorism and creates awareness about conversion, therefore, should be watched by everyone.

Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the makers and said the film is a product of the Sangh Parivar’s factory and a result of divisive politics using fake stories through such films.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a rally in Karnataka, said The Kerala Story exposes terror conspiracies in the state. He took a dig at the Congress and said the party is standing with such terror elements that have destroyed the nation from within.

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Sudipto Sen’s controversial film The Kerala Story has been hogging headlines since its teaser last year. Starring Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani, and Sonia Balani, the film has triggered a debate on social media over its plot.

On Saturday, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made the film tax-free. CM Chouhan, in a tweet, said The Kerala Story is a film that has exposed the horrific truth of terrorism and has been decided to make the film tax-free in Madhya Pradesh.

In a video, Chouhan said the film shows how the life of daughters get trapped by love jihad and it also exposes the design of terrorism. He further said the film creates awareness about conversion and should be watched by all.

Have a look at the tweet here:

Written and helmed by Sudipto Sen, The Kerala Story hit the silver screen on May 5 amid the ongoing controversy. The film is said to have falsely claimed in its teaser that 32,000 missing women in Kerala converted to Islam and joined the terror outfit, ISIS.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called the film a product of the Sangh Parivar’s factory of lies. CM Vijayan said the Sangh Parivar is attempting to take forward its divisive politics using fake stories through such films as its methods, which were successful in other places, did not work in Kerala by spreading such myths without any fact or evidence.

The Kerala High Court on Friday refused to stay the release of The Kerala Story saying the trailer does not contain anything offensive to any particular community as a whole.

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