Theatre Owners To Stop Screening Of "The Kerala Story" In Tamil Nadu

Theatre owners in Tamil Nadu have decided not to screen the controversial movie "The Kerala Story" amid opposition to the release. Several online ticket booking platforms have already removed it from their Chennai listings. Thirteen theatres are screening the film in the state at presemt.

Theatre owners say screening the film affects other films in multiplexes.

"Due to law and order concerns, other films shown in multiplexes that screen this movie suffer. It affects our income. That's why this decision," a senior member of the Theatre Owners' Association told NDTV.

The Tamil Nadu government has not banned the film. At present, Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan 2 or PS 2 is doing well at box office. In Tamil Nadu, PS2 is largely distributed by Red Giant Movies. which has close links with the ruling DMK.

The announcement to stop screening "The Kerala Story" comes days after the Madras High Court dismissed a plea seeking a ban of the film earlier this week.

Muslim organisations had sought a ban on the film alleging that it made an exaggerated claim that 32,000 Hindu and Christian women in Kerala have converted and got lured into joining the terror organisation ISIS.

Right wing groups want the film screened, claiming it is close authentic.

The ruling Left Front in Kerala has argued that the film humiliates the southern state and will spread communal hatred. It is a false portrayal of Kerala and there is an ulterior motive behind it, the ruling Left and the opposition Congress have alleged.

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.