New Delhi: The Tamil Nadu government told the Supreme Court on Tuesday the government did not impose any shadow ban on the film ‘The Kerala Story’ and the theatres stopped screening the film due to poor audience response.
The development came as the apex court issued a notice to Tamil Nadu based on the plea of filmmakers, who alleged that the government has imposed a de facto ban on the movie.
An affidavit submitted by the Tamil Nadu government said, “The exhibitors have themselves stopped the screening of the movie due to the poor audience response, and the government cannot do anything to increase the audience patronage for the said film except to provide security to the cinema theatres.”
The affidavit further stated that “the multiplex owners took the decision to stop screening the film on May 5 in view of the criticism received by it—lack of well-known actors, poor performance, poor audience response. The state exercises no control over decisions. It is reiterated that this decision was made by the theatre owners on their own, and the state had no role to play over the same.”
Citing the underwhelming performance and criticism received by the film as reasons for the exhibitors stopping the film screening, the Tamil Nadu government accused the filmmakers of deliberately submitting misleading statements in court. The state government further added that the film had earlier been released in 19 multiplexes and that the government had even deployed 965 police personnel to ensure ‘law and order’ during the screening.
The affidavit further stated that the filmmakers have not submitted any documents to prove that the state government stopped the screening of the film and has imposed a ban on the film.
The producers of “The Kerala Story” had filed a petition in the Supreme Court after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee decided to ban the film in the state on May 8 to avoid “any incident of hatred and violence and to maintain peace in the state.”
The makers also sought security for theatre owners in Tamil Nadu so they could screen the film freely. Theatre owners in Tamil Nadu had stopped screening, citing ‘law and order’ issues.
The film has been in controversy since its trailer emerged. Many politicians have called for a ban on the film, whereas states like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have made it tax-free for the audience.
The Kerala Story has till now made a whopping amount of Rs. 147 crore, and it does not look to slow down anytime soon. The film has been earning in double digits and will soon be crossing the 150 crore mark, making it one of the biggest hits in 2023 at the box office.