Sudipto Sen’s controversial film, The Kerala Story, is finally going to be released in the United Kingdom after the abrupt cancellation of the movie over a delay in certification. The film, which has already stirred a political controversy in India, was earlier scheduled to be released in the UK on May 12, but its initial screenings got cancelled despite having nearly houseful shows. The film reportedly failed to receive clearances from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) in time due to which the shows were cancelled and tickets were refunded.
However, it seems to have finally got the green light to be released in the UK and director Sudipto Sen informed about this in a tweet.
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“Congratulations #GreatBritain. You won. Terrorism lost. Shall wait for your reaction. Oh… now British people shall watch the biggest revolution against terror… #TheKeralaStory," he wrote on Twitter.
Congratulations #GreatBritain . You won. Terrorism lost.Shall wait for your reaction.Oh... now British people shall watch the biggest revolution against terror... #TheKeralaStory.@adah_sharma @SiddhiIdnani pic.twitter.com/cQdpma95rB
— Sudipto SEN (@sudiptoSENtlm) May 16, 2023
The film’s lead star, Adah Sharma also retweeted Sen’s tweet and wrote, “Congrats all of you! See you in the UK #TheKeralaStory."
Earlier, the film was set to release across 31 cinemas in the UK and Ireland, but the screenings were cancelled and the tickets were refunded.
The move came after the UK distributor of The Kerala Story, 24 SEVEN FLIX4U, was reportedly forced to request all the theatre owners to cancel the film’s shows upon discovering that the film hadn’t received an age certificate from the BBFC.
In the UK, a movie classification certificate and age rating from the BBFC is mandatory for all films before theatrical release.
The BBFC then confirmed that the movie was under the classification process, and will be cleared for screening once it has received an age rating and content advice.
The film based on the subject of forced conversion and love jihad has been facing heavy backlash from political parties, specifically in Kerala, who claim that it is not based on facts, and propagates hate and communal disharmony. The film was banned in West Bengal and it was pulled out of theatres in Tamil Nadu over the controversy.
However, other Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh supported the film and made it tax-free. It has also received great appreciation and support from the BJP and other groups.
The Kerala Story was released in India on May 5 and in 37 other countries on May 12.
The movie has already achieved the milestone of Rs 150 crore (net) collection at the box office as on May 16. As per the early estimates, from industry tracker Sacnilk, the film is said to have earned Rs 156.84 crore at the domestic box office.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
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