The Kerala Story: Tovino Thomas slams the makers for misleading audience with fake figures; ‘stop believing blindly’
Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas opens up on The Kerala Story and slams the makers for misleading information with fake figures.
The Kerala Story is the talk of the town. The film faced several obstacles and was released amid controversies yet the Adha Sharma starrer managed to perform well at the box office. The film is based on a group of women from Kerala who converted their religion to Islam and joined the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas who hails from a small town in Kerala opened up on the latest movie if it is trying to paint the state. The actor has slammed the makers for misleading information and urges the audience to not believe blindly.
Tovino Thomas who is promoting his latest movie 2018, based on the 2018 Kerala floods, states it can't be The Kerala Story if the makers are talking about three women who converted to Islam. He slammed the makers for false information as they themselves changed the figure to 3 from 32000. He is surprised and states it can't be generalized with just three incidents while there are approximately 35 million people in Kerala. Well, he didn't deny the fact that this would have not happened in Kerala it's just he doesn't know it personally. He states whatever we see today is just opinions, five channels show five different versions of a story.
In an interview with Indian Express, "I'll not deny the fact that this happened. But three out of 35 million cannot be generalized and giving misinformation is very bad." Talking about the figure that the makers earlier mentioned 32000 but later changed it to 3, Thomas questioned the makers why they used the huge figure in the first place. According to him, 32000 is a fake figure and he don't want to state anything but thinks people will understand. He wants people to stop believing anything blindly and start thinking, rationalising. Suggest audience not let anybody feed misinformation to them.
He further added cinema can be fiction but not name the story The Kerala Story. Thomas who is born and raised in Kerala refuse to admit that this is Kerala Story. He highlighted on the 2018 floods where people were not separated by any religious or political parties or groups. People stayed together, struggled, and survived the floods. He stated Cinema is to entertain and give out messages so makers should refrain from giving out bad messages. Tovino Thomas says Cinema is one of the most influential art forms hence it should not be misused instead give a strong message that should be taken as a responsibility.
The Kerala Story stars Adah Sharma, Sonia Balani, Yogita Bihani, and Siddhi Idnani. The film is directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah under the banners of Sunshine Productions. The movie released in theaters on 5th May 2023.