Actress Adah Sharma, who stars in director Sudipto Sen’s film The Kerala Story, has addressed the controversy surrounding the film. In a tweet, she urged those who still view it as propaganda to Google “ISIS and Brides” and read about the accounts of Indian victims.
The film, which also features Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani, and Sonia Balani, has earned over ₹8 crores at the domestic box office since its release on Friday. The film faced controversy before its release due to claims made in the trailer that 32,000 girls from Kerala had gone missing and joined ISIS.
And for the the few still calling #TheKeralaStory a propaganda film ,saying these incidents do not exist even after watching testimonials of several Indian victims,,,my humble request , Google two words ISIS and Brides…maybe an account of white girls narrated to you might make… pic.twitter.com/qYBp3B3owQ
— Adah Sharma (@adah_sharma) May 6, 2023
However, the Kerala High Court noted that the film is a fictionalized and dramatized version of events, and producers included a disclaimer stating that the film does not claim the accuracy or factuality of historical events. The film has received a positive response from audiences, including a standing ovation in theaters and praise for Adah Sharma’s performance.