The Kerala Story

Review by Balti

Release Date

5th May 2023

Should I watch this movie?

Strap in for a gut-wrenching, real-life-inspired horror show that kicks off with a bang, as an alleged terrorist named Fatima gets nabbed at the Afghan-Iran border, only to drop a bombshell confession: she's Shalini Unnikrishnan, a sweet Kerala girl who took a terrifying, brainwashed detour into radicalization. Rewind a few months, and Shalini’s just your average nursing student, making fast friends with Nimah, Gitanjali, and the deceptively charming Asifa, who quickly morphs from a pal to a chilling puppet master for an Islamic Jihadi group. Suddenly, casual campus chats contort into unsettling sermons about singular gods and eternal damnation, with Asifa, flanked by her creepily persuasive cronies Abdul and Rameez, cranking up the fear dial in a psychological ambush that’s almost artful in its cruelty. Before you can blink, Shalini and Gitanjali are sporting hijabs, their eyes now reflecting a frightening, singular devotion, while Nimah, bless her sharp instincts, gets an urgent case of the heebie-jeebies and wisely bails, just barely dodging the emotional shrapnel of their rapid, terrifying descent. This isn't just a movie; it's a frantic, heart-pounding plunge into the abyss of insidious brainwashing, a stark, unsettling reminder that some nightmares are chillingly real.

What began as a deceptive romance swiftly plunged Shalini into a relentless nightmare, her life meticulously dismantled piece by terrifying piece. Entangled with Rameez, the joy of impending motherhood was brutally overshadowed by forced conversion and his calculated abandonment, leaving her vulnerable before she was coerced into marrying Ishaq, a supposed path to security for her unborn child, even as her mother's desperate pleas at the wedding ceremony were met with a chilling, brainwashed refusal. The true horror unfurled during her "honeymoon," when her phone was violently confiscated, and instead of returning to India, she was rerouted to Pakistan, the first terrifying leg of an unimaginable journey that saw her illegally trafficked across multiple, unforgiving borders, enduring a harrowing, relentless passage, until she was eventually delivered to the desolate landscapes of Syria. There, stripped of identity and hope, she was systematically groomed, her spirit broken, to become a suicide bomber, her stolen life now utterly consumed by the group's extremist, destructive will. Her once vibrant future had been brutally weaponized, leaving behind only the chilling echo of a life utterly extinguished.

Kerala Story stands as an essential, chilling testament to the insidious decay of a once-vibrant society, where the terrifying grip of brainwashing and mind control ruthlessly snatches away the innocence of countless daily lives. Witnessing the film's stark portrayal, one is plunged into the sorrowful reality of communities fractured, dreams shattered, and futures brutally hijacked, as insidious machinations unfold with a chilling precision. Ordinary individuals, often young and vulnerable, are systematically targeted, their beliefs warped, and their identities violently re-sculpted, a visceral journey into the psychological battlefield where truth is twisted into deceit, and the promise of a better life morphs into an inescapable nightmare. Ultimately, the film compels us to confront the devastating aftermath when such dark forces are left unchecked, leaving behind a trail of irreversible sorrow and a profound sense of what has been tragically lost.

Main Cast

Adah Sharma, Siddhi Idnani, Yogita Bihani and Sonia Balani.

Performance

A chilling tapestry of despair unfolds through the harrowing portrayals by Adah Sharma, Siddhi Idnani, Yogita Bihani, and Sonia Balani, whose collective genius brings to life the nightmarish reality of young women ensnared in conversions and the subsequent, unimaginable hardships. Their performances are not merely acting; they are raw, visceral screams of stolen innocence and shattered futures, plunging viewers into the psychological abyss of betrayal and forced transformation. Each actress meticulously crafts a journey from hopeful vulnerability to the stark, terrifying realization of their new, often brutal existence, creating an inescapable sense of dread that permeates every frame. This profound, unsettling authenticity resonated deeply, propelling the film to an astonishing ₹8.03 crore on its opening day in India—the fifth highest opener for 2023—a testament not just to its box office power, but to the collective recognition of these actresses' brave ability to unearth and reflect varied untold accounts, making a person's nightmare tragically real for every viewer. Ultimately, their collective action on screen was an unflinching, sorrowful testament to unimaginable suffering, a stark, horrifying mirror reflecting the deepest fears and agonies of those caught in such a devastating spiral of Islamic conversion.

Production

Directed by Sudipto Sen. Written by Suryapal Singh, Sudipto Sen, Vipul Amrutlal Shah. Produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah

Music & Soundtracks

Music by Viresh Sreevalsa and Bishakh Jyoti.

Fact or Fiction?

A sickening storm of controversy erupted around the film, as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan vehemently condemned its alleged propagation of misinformation and insidious communal narratives, branding its recognition an outright insult to the sacred secular tradition of Indian cinema. This fury was mirrored in the desperate appeals to justice, with multiple petitions flooding the Madras High Court, Kerala High Court, and the Supreme Court, all demanding an immediate ban on grounds of inciting communal disharmony. Yet, in a bitter twist of reality, these pleas were largely dismissed or declined, leaving a gnawing sense of frustration; however, the courts did deliver a stark, undeniable indictment: the filmmakers were compelled to purge all promotional materials, including the chilling teaser, that brazenly asserted a fabricated reality of thirty-two thousand girls having converted to Islam and joined the Islamic State. This insidious lie, personified by the character of Fathima Ba—a Hindu Malayali nurse allegedly converted and trapped within an Afghan jail, claiming to be one of these "missing" thousands—laid bare the horrifying potential for real-world harm, a grotesque manipulation of truth designed to sow division and fear. The lingering stench of this calculated falsehood, deemed too dangerous even for mere promotion, remains a stark, infuriating testament to the film's perceived malicious intent and its profound disrespect for the nation's fragile social harmony.