Sudipto Sen, the filmmaker of The Kerala Story, finally speaks out after Kamal Haasan criticised his movie and called it propaganda.
The Kerala Story, directed by Sudipto Sen, has generated controversy ever since it was released. The movie, which has made 200 crore, has experienced everything, from restrictions on its cinema release in some areas to anger from a segment of the public, including celebrities. The controversy surrounding the movie, which at its core is about religious and ideological conversions, has been addressed by actor Kamal Haasan.
Speaking exclusively to HT, Sudipto Sen responds, “I don’t react to (such accusations). In the past, I used to attempt to explain, but today, I don’t do so because those who called the movie a propaganda piece later described it as charming. People are slamming it who didn’t saw it. In the same way, it wasn’t made available in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Since these guys haven’t seen the movie, they believe it to be propaganda. In our society, people have very foolish stereotypes. They believe that everything is either black or white and are unaware that there are shades of grey.
Sen continues, “If BJP is appreciating the picture, that doesn’t mean it’s their film. I’m currently admitted in the hospital owing to dehydration and infection from the constant advertising of the movie after its release. People like it worldwide in 37 nations, not just in India, but also in Congress and any other political party. Even if they have criticism, they still call and talk to me about it. I don’t feel bad about it at all. By labelling a movie as propaganda without having seen it and formed an opinion, a person is engaging in propaganda. The only other words that come to me are hypocrisy or petty. I’ve given up educating them.