The Kerala Story

Sudipto Sen's 2023 Indian film is built on the account of a woman who says she wanted to become a nurse in Kerala, was abducted, was manipulated by religious groups into becoming an ISIS member and ended up in an Afghan prison. Before release the trailer claimed that thirty-two thousand women from Kerala had disappeared and joined ISIS; after heavy objection the figure was withdrawn from the trailer. The matter reached the Supreme Court of India. The court stated there was no authentic data supporting the figure of thirty-two thousand and ordered the makers to add a disclaimer saying the film is a fictionalised version of events and that no authentic data backs that number. The film therefore presents a narrative that reads as based on real events while its central claim was held by the court to be unsubstantiated. Watching it requires knowing that. Who it's for: viewers interested in the argument over political cinema in India and in how a film shapes public debate. Who it's not for: anyone expecting documentary accuracy, or avoiding content involving sexual violence, radicalisation and collective accusation against a religious community.