Amidst controversies, the Idukki diocese of Syro-Malabar Catholic Church screened the film ‘The Kerala Story’ for class 10-12 students during its summer catechism classes. The diocese has screened the film amidst opposition in the state against airing the film in Doordarshan.
A three-day intensive catechism programme was organised from April 2 for teenagers under the diocese and film screening, and film reviewing were part of the programme, said Father Jins Karakkat, Chairman of media commission of the diocese. He added as part of the programme, a booklet on the theme ‘Love’ was prepared for students of classes 10-12. “The film was screened as part of the theme chosen for the programme,” he said. "Nowadays, there are circumstances in which teenagers are largely falling in love and facing dangers. So, we intended to create awareness among our children about such dangers," he added.
Directed by Sudipto Sen, the film is about a group of women from Kerala who were forced to convert to Islam and join ISIS. Political parties in Kerala have opposed it and alleged it was a propaganda film.
National broadcaster Doordarshan aired the film on April 5 despite stiff opposition from the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front and Congress-led United Democratic Front in the State. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan strongly criticised the screening of the movie by the public broadcaster. Vijayan urged Doordarshan to withdraw the decision, saying it would only "exacerbate communal tensions" ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Vijayan had also asked the national broadcaster not to become a "propaganda machine" for the BJP and the RSS.
-with inputs from agencies.
