BackTamil Nadu stops screening of ‘The Kerala Story’ after protests
The development came as the Sudipto Sen-directed ‘The Kerala Story’ film saw a huge jump in box office collection on Saturday and has earned around ₹20 crore in two days
PremiumThe theaters in Tamil Nadu decided to stop the screening of ‘The Kerala Story’ film amid poor reviews by the audience as well as protests against the film in the state. The development came as the Sudipto Sen-directed film saw a huge jump in box office collection on Saturday and has earned around ₹20 crore in two days.
President of Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners Association, M Subramaniam said that the film was screened in some multiplexes, but didn't do well on the two days and the theatres decided that the film was not worth the ongoing protests.
"The film was only shown in a few multiplexes owned by pan-India groups, mostly PVR. Locally-owned multiplexes had already decided not to show the film, as it did not have any popular stars. In Coimbatore for instance, there were two shows so far -- one on Friday and one on Saturday. Even those did not do well. Given that, theatres decided that it was not worth going through the threat of protests and such," added Subramaniam.
Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) staged a protest against the release of ‘The Kerala Story’ in Chennai.
Tax-free in some states:
The screening halt in Tamil Nadu came at a time when some states are offering a tax-free screening of the film, with a legislator in Uttar Pradesh also organizing a free screening of ‘The Kerala Story’ for college-going girls.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also credited the film for bringing out terror conspiracies. Madhya Pradesh government decided to give tax-free status to 'The Kerala Story' in the state.
“We have already made a law against religious conversion in Madhya Pradesh. Since this film creates awareness, everyone should watch this film. Parents, children, and daughters should watch it. That's why the Madhya Pradesh government is giving tax-free status to the movie ‘The Kerala Story’," Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
(With agency inputs)
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