The Kerala Story: Producers Guild of India objects to state-enforced bans

Sudipto Sen's directorial The Kerala Story has divided the audiences, with many praising it and others protesting against it. Recently, the Producers Guild of India issued a statement amid calls for a ban on the film in several Indian states. The Guild strongly object to state-enforced bans. 

An official statement from The Producers Guild of India was shared on their Twitter handle. Mentioning that it's the choice of the audience to either watch or ignore the film, they said that they are distressed with state-enforced bans. The official statement read, "The Producers Guild of India is distressed by, and would like to record its strong objection to, state-enforced bans on The Kerala Story. As emphasized by us on several occasions in the past, film releases are regulated by CBFC and any film that complies with this statutory requirement should face no further hurdles in having the paying public decide on its fate.Of course, the audience can choose to watch or ignore any film but that is a choice that should be theirs to make, not one that is imposed on them by any party other than CBFC. We call upon all the relevant authorities to urgently address this all-too-frequent phenomenon of films being denied their right to unfettered, nation-wide exhibition despite having duly complied with regulatory requirements."

Official Statement by Producers Guild of India pic.twitter.com/im36aRX9WP

— Producers Guild of India (@producers_guild) May 9, 2023

Mamta Banerjee bans The Kerala Story in West Bengal 

Recently, Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, banned The Kerala Story in the state. Citing the reason, she told ANI that the decision was "politically motivated". She further shared that she watched the film and then took the decision. With her decision, West Bengal became the first state in the country to ban The Kerala Story. The film stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani among others. The trailer claimed that 32,000 women from Kerala had gone missing and joined the terrorist group ISIS, which created controversy.