The Kerala Story

A Vipul Amrutlal Shah production

THE KERALA STORY

Synopsis:

Shalini and her husband Ishak reach ISIS and Islamic Brotherhood-con-trolled Herat area Afghanistan-Iran border. The next destination is Naqibishq, Syria — the Southern headquarter of Islamic Khalifayet. Shalini, now Fatima after converting to Islam, is overwhelmed. All she dreams of is to embrace Islam and travel to Syria to serve Khalifayet…

Back home in Kasaragod, Kerala, the southern-most state of India, her friend Gitanjali had committed suicide after failing to handle the brutal blackmailing of local ISIS recruiters. Nimah, another hostel-mate of Shalini somehow managed to save herself from the same terror syndicate, but not
before being repeatedly raped. Both vehemently warned Shalini of the evil- est consequences. But Shalini refused to pay any heed to it. All she wanted was to give birth to her child in the sacred land of Islam, in Syria. She just wanted to give her life to Islam.

She is now living in an incarceration centre in a nameless place in the middle of Tral Desert. As Ishak dies in a drone attack by the American army, she is abducted by the ISIS militants to make her a Suriyya or a sex slave. Ironically, she is sent off to Syria.

Will she be able to escape and reunite with her mother in Kerala? Shalini is among more than 32 thousand girls from Kerala – “God’s own country”, who have disappeared from their homes and most of them landed in the dungeon
of the mindless killers…

THE KERALA STORY… A heart-wrenching thriller begins with the darkest truth of religious conversion and radical Islamic recruitment in India.

Producer's Note

It is extremely difficult, or rather impossible to remain unmoved or non-re-sponsive after hearing THE KERALA STORY narration from my director, who is the writer of the film too. It is disturbing…

It is unnerving… It is un-settling. And, same thing happened to me, when I first time heard the story. In my utter disbelieve, I was in tears.

I took very little time to decide to support the film by producing it.

I myself is a filmmaker since last two decades or more. I am extremely comfortable with my own genre of film. THE KERALA STORY is a film definitely not of my genre of cinema, yet a strong organic instinct made me the part of this film and I am sure, I did justice with the

As per a recent report, since 2009 – more than 32 thousand girls from Kerala and Mangalore, has been converted to Islam and most of them ended up landing in Syria, Afghanistan and other ISIS and Taliban influential areas. In spite of accepting this facts and numbers of conversion and eloped
girls, the government is hardly contemplating any short term or long action against such huge international conspiracy led by ISIS influenced groups.

THE KERALA STORY

Confirmed evidences are overlooked… Police & administration are muffled… ‘Government’ is in denial mode (thanks to the election politics). As a result—rampant religious conversion through deep-rooted indoctrination network taken over Kerala like fire in hay… simply rescinding ‘god’s own country’, (that is what is the meaning of KERALA) silently and inevitably.

We told the stories Shalini, Geetanjali, Nimah and Asifa! Needless to say, we have changed their real names. Shalini is right now languishing in the in-
carceration center of United Nation in the desert of Iran-Afghan border. We spoke to Shalini’s mother for hours. Geetanjali committed suicide — we spoke to her parents too. Brave girl Nimah spoke to us for hours. She narrated her ordeal and her conviction for ensuring the most stringent punishment to the perpetrators. We have portrayed their stories with utmost honesty and in graphic detail — to give a feel of gruesomeness of the real face of the terror. After doing all —I still feel lot more to do — lot more to tell.

I am leaving up to you, now. To be part of the movement to save thousand and thousand of girls…

Director’s Note

Since I started working on the issues religious conversion and ISIS recruitment from Kerala, India almost 5-years back, we definitely find a pattern
which is quite different from the ISIS recruitment from Europe or other parts of the world. Here, the radicalization and indoctrination of young girls
and boys was done by the radical local fringe groups and ISIS sleeper cells with the help of leading political groups in India. Not by the refugees.

I was definitely inquisitive about the international conspiracy angle, which was evident through every word spoken and the tears rolled down. There is
no denial to the fact that the thousands and thousands of daughters of India are getting converted Islam and many of them are getting vanished in
to the blues of middle-eastern and west Asian deserts. I have seen the tears of the mothers of the converted & eloped girls… Most

of them refused to come before my research camera due to some invisible fear. Fear was palpable, all over…

I heard the cry of their despair…! I tried to hear the choked sighs of mothers and daughters in Kerala. I felt the melancholy of a country – who is losing
her daughters in thousands, every year. I don’t want any daughter… any parent to go through this anguish… no matter what is their faith or religion… So,the film THE KERALA STORY!

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

THE KERALA STORY

(130-min — Hindi)

Produced by
Vipul Amrutlal Shah

Written & Directed by
Sudipto Sen

Co-Produced by
Aashin A. Shah

Principal Cast

Adah Sharma
Yogita Bihani
Siddhi Idnani
Sonia Balani
Vijay Krishna

Pranay Pachuri
Pranav Mishra

Principal Crew

Director of Photography
Prasantanu Mohapatra

Sound Design
Ganesh Gangadharan

Edit

Sanjay Sharma

Music
Viresh Shreevalsa
Bishakh Jyoti

Casting Director
Mukesh Chhabra

Costume
Radhika Mehra