In the midst of controversy over the film The Kerala Story, music director AR Rahman shared a video on Thursday, May 4, of a Hindu wedding ceremony that took place at a mosque in Kerala. The video, which is from three years ago, was a story reported by TNM.
The marriage of Sarath Sasi and Anju Ashok was held at the Cheravally Muslim Jamaath mosque in Kerala’s Alappuzha district on January 19, 2020. Sharing the video, AR Rahman said, “Bravo. Love for humanity has to be unconditional and healing.” The music composer had quote tweeted the video shared by another handle, that called the said marriage “another #KeralaStory.”
Bravo love for humanity has to be unconditional and healing ❤️ https://t.co/X9xYVMxyiF
— A.R.Rahman (@arrahman) May 4, 2023
As TNM had reported at the time, the mosque had offered monetary aid to the bride’s family and had hosted the wedding, as the bride’s family had financial constraints. In the video, Alappuzha MP AM Arif tells TNM that, “This is conveying a message to Kerala. Not just Kerala, but the whole nation, especially in these troubled times when people are being killed in the name of religion. Here we are teaching people to love each other. That is the message we are giving.”
Rahman’s post comes a day before The Kerala Story is set to release in theatres across the country. The film, directed by Sudipto Sen, has caused controversy by claiming that 32,000 women from Kerala had been forcibly converted to Islam and made to join ISIS (The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham). The filmmakers, after widespread criticism, seem to have now backtracked on this number.
The trailer now says that the movie is the “true story of three young girls,” but also adds that, “thousands of innocent women have been systematically converted, radicalised, and their lives destroyed. It's their side of the story.”
The film has been widely condemned as an outsider’s view and as a propaganda piece. The fact-checking news site, Alt News, recently pointed out that the claims in The Kerala Story are based on incorrect numbers and manipulated statements.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court refused to stay the release, refusing to accept that the film amounts to hate speech. The film has been condemned by Kerala chief minister Pinayari Vijayan, who called The Kerala Story a product of the Sangh Parivar’s “lie factory,” and added that, “Propaganda films and their otherisation of Muslims should be viewed in the context of various efforts made by the Sangh Parivar to gain an advantage in electoral politics in Kerala. Their usual tactics do not work in Kerala, so they are trying to spread their politics of division through the film based on fake stories.”
Also read: