May 10, 2023
3 mins read

Civil society divided over ban on ‘The Kerala Story’

Senior counsel of the Calcutta High Court Kaushik Gupta said that such bans on screening of movies in cinema halls or multiplexes are useless in the current age of internet and OTTs…reports Asian Lite News

The West Bengal government’s decision to ban the screening of “The Kerala Story” in the state seems to have divided the civil society.

Those who are against the ban cite three different logical premises on this count – the first being the justification of banning a film which has got clearance from the censor board, the second on the effectiveness of the ban in this age of OTT when shortly the film will be available on the OTT platform, and the third is that by banning the movie, the government has actually increased the public craze for it.

On the other hand, those who are in support of the decision to ban the movie feel that considering the changed social-cultural changes that the West Bengal had gone through in the recent past, there was a risk in allowing the screening of the movie and hence the state government has done the right thing by not taking that risk.

According to the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) General Secretary, Ranjit Sur, when the decision of the ban on screening was taken, already the movie had been screened in different multiplexes of the state for four days.

“But there had not been a single report of law & order problems over screening the movie. The state government should have allowed the screening of the movie and let the people of the state decide whether they accept it or reject it. I do not think that by banning the screening of the movie, the state government has taken a revolutionary step against attempts to create communal divide. This is a pure political game keeping in mind polarisation of the vote bank,” he said.

Senior counsel of the Calcutta High Court Kaushik Gupta said that such bans on screening of movies in cinema halls or multiplexes are useless in the current age of internet and OTTs.

“Already there are reports of the movie being leaked online. Very soon the movie will appear in one or more OTT platforms. How will the state government stop people from viewing that there? Rather, this ban will now encourage even those people, who otherwise might not have gone to watch the movie, to view the same,” Gupta added.

Acclaimed painter Subhaprasanna, otherwise known to be very close to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, disagrees with the state government’s logic for banning the movie. According to him, he had always been against any forced opposition against any creative work. He said that when the censor board has cleared the screening of the movie, he does not find any logic on the ban enforced by the state government. “The people should have the freedom of accepting or rejecting the movie,” he said.

Poet and educationist Subodh Sarkar, however, feels that the state government has done the right thing by banning the screen of the movie since it had enough elements to fuel tension. “To my opinion the state government has done the right thing by nor allowing the sparks to turn into flames,” he said.

ALSO READ-Filming ‘Love Again’ a terrifying experience for Priyanka

Previous Story

Recipe: Shawarma Sandwich

Next Story

‘Ishanou’ recognised as World Classic

Latest from Films

Censor Board Clears Mareesan for Release

The film’s music, composed by the acclaimed Yuvan Shankar Raja, further elevates the emotional and philosophical undertones of the film The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has officially granted a U/A

‘Kuberaa’ Streams July 18

Originally released on June 20, 2025, Kuberaa enjoyed commercial success at the box office, grossing ₹132 crore worldwide. The film has garnered praise for its gripping narrative and stellar performances, particularly Dhanush’s

‘Kannappa’ Screens at Rashtrapati Bhavan

Vishnu Manchu took to his social media to address the issue, revealing that the film had been attacked by online pirates, with over 30,000 illegal links already being removed Vishnu Manchu’s epic

Censor Board Clears Mareesan for Release

The narrative of Mareesan revolves around a peculiar, yet compelling journey. Fahadh Faasil plays a thief looking for his next victim, while Vadivelu portrays an Alzheimer’s patient, slowly losing his memory The
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Polling begins in Bengal under tight security cover

Reports of tension had started surfacing from certain pockets in

If I don’t win, someone else will become CM: Mamata

Political experts are of the opinion that the Chief Minister’s