The controversy over the film "The Kerala Story" has now reached England, as the film's release has been banned there. The screening of the film was canceled at the last moment, despite people having already bought tickets. Some Indian people in England said they received a refund email, which explained that the British Censor Board had not given the certificate to the film, resulting in the postponement of the release. All ticket sales from websites have also been banned. The film was scheduled to be released on 31 screens in the UK.
According to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), the certification of the film is still in process. A BBFC spokesperson said, "The film will be screened in UK theaters as soon as it gets the age rating certificate." Suresh Varsani, the film's distributor in the UK, expressed his disappointment and said that he was forced to call up all theater owners and ask them not to release the film. He added that it is illegal to show a film in Britain without the permission of the censor board.
Suresh submitted all versions of the film (Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam) to the censor board on May 10, and the age certification was supposed to be done on the same day. However, the certification process has been delayed, and Suresh has suffered a loss of Rs 40 to 50 lakhs as a result. The distributor has asked why the Censor Board is taking more than three days to give a certificate. The film has been released in America, Australia, Canada, and Ireland, and has crossed the Rs 100 crore mark in India.
The film has faced controversy in India as well, with it being banned in West Bengal and theater operators in Tamil Nadu refusing to screen it. However, the Supreme Court has issued a notice to the governments of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu on the petition of the film's makers, and the matter has been posted for further hearing on Wednesday.
"The Kerala Story" is directed by filmmaker Sudipto Sen and is based on the conversion of Hindu girls. The story of the film has caused controversy, and the matter has gone up to the Supreme Court against its release. However, the court refused to stop the release of the film. Sudipto Sen said in an interview, "The process of conversion and its aftermath is being done under a well-planned conspiracy. Since the number of Muslims in Kerala plays an important role in forming the government, the leaders and the government also did not say anything on this issue." The film has raised concerns among some Hindu and Jain organizations in the UK, who have written to the BBFC requesting that the matter be resolved soon and the film released.