KOCHI: The controversial movie "The Kerala Story," which was scheduled to open in theatres today, has been cancelled by two venues in Kochi.

The showing has been cancelled by PVR Cinemas in Lulu Mall and Oberon Mall as well as Cinepolis in Centre Square Mall, although no explanation for the decision was provided.

In Kochi City, there is only one theatre left, called Shenoys, and it will start showing the movie at 10:00 am.
Theatres and distributors had already agreed to show the movie on 50 screens throughout Kerala, however many pulled out right before the opening.

Later, the movie decided to only run on 17 screens. However, it is not yet known how many theatres will show the movie.
There are now only three theatres in the Ernakulam district that will show this film. 'The Kerala Story' will be shown in Shenoys in Kochi City, Carnival Cinemas in Kariyad, and Dharshana Cinema Complex in Piravom.

The movie is being criticised for supposedly spreading a misleading narrative about Islamic conversion, which is why the show was cancelled.

The movie, directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, has caused a significant political controversy, with numerous leaders responding to the film's release today.

In a recent remark, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan claimed that the film was purposefully designed to incite hatred against Kerala and to polarise communities.

The statement reads, "The Hindi film 'The Kerala Story's' trailer was published yesterday with the apparent intention of promoting sectarian divisiveness and spreading hate propaganda against Kerala. The film's attempt to propagate Sangh Parivar propaganda, which has established itself as the epicentre of religious fanaticism in Kerala, the land of secularism, is evident from the trailer.

Shashi Tharoor, a congressman for the Congress, tweeted on Sunday, "It may be *your* kerala-story">Kerala narrative. The story of Kerala is not "our" story.
Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani, and Sonia Balani play the key characters in "The Kerala Story."

Sen's movie "The Kerala Story" received criticism for its trailer, which said that 32,000 state residents went missing before joining ISIS.

The Kerala Story should not be allowed to be screened, according to VD Satheesan, leader of the opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly.

"It should not be permitted for the movie 'The Kerala Story' to be screened since it erroneously alleges that 32,000 women in Kerala converted and joined the Islamic State.

Satheesan stated in a Facebook post that the trailer "clearly illustrates what the film seeks to communicate.
He also claimed that the movie is an attempt to carry out Sangh Parivar's agenda and to polarise society by casting doubt on minority groups. He saidthat this was not a matter of free speech but rather an effort to carry out the Sangh Parivar plan to polarise society by raising questions about minority groups.

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