The Kerala Story actor Vijay Krishna says many who called film propaganda are now apologising to him | Exclusive

The Kerala Story has been the most divisive film this year. The Sudipto Sen film had been mired in controversies much before its release with many politicians and opposition leaders calling it ‘propaganda’ and ‘hateful’ against religious minorities. Despite the controversies, and bans, the film has broken box office records, minting close to Rs 200 crore globally. Vijay Krishna, who plays the antagonist Ishak in the film, spoke to DNA exclusively about his role, the furore around the film, and how viewing the film changed many critics.

The Kerala Story has earned over Rs 150 crore in India and around Rs 190 crore globally in its first 12 days. It is one of the highest-grossing women-led films from India ever. Nobody expected the film to do this well, says Vijay. “None of us expected it to become as big as it has today, and I feel we are all kicked to see that it is sparking some conversations. A lot of people are watching the film in massive numbers, talking about it. It’s so good to be part of such a film,” says the actor.

In the film, Vijay’s character Ishak is a terrorist in ISIS and one of the chief tormentors of the protagonist played by Adah Sharma. Talking about the challenge of playing such a negative and dark character, Vijay says, “We have a completely different moral code. I don’t believe in any of the things he does, says, or believes in. But at the same time, as an actor, my job is to try and convey his motivation, his intentions with all kinds of conviction. That was a huge challenge. In his story, he is the hero and I need to get to that place.”

Vijay’s portrayal of Ishak seems to have struck a chord with the audiences though. He says he is getting a lot of messages on social media nowadays with people both abusing and praising him. Vijay says with a laugh, “People have been messaging me on social media saying, ‘itna gaali diya hai aapko film me dekh kar (we have abused you so much having watched you in the film), but in your profile we can see you are a nice person’. It’s an interesting journey. I have a lot of these messages.”

The film is about the brainwashing and forced religious conversion of Hindu women from Kerala by ISIS militants. The film has been accused of ‘spreading hatred’ and ‘propagating untruthful perceptions’. In the run up to the release, there were calls of bans as well. Recalling that time, Vijay says, “The first couple of days before the release, when the comments started coming, I was extremely terrified. Our thinking was not like this. We were trying to make a human story and that is truly what our aim was – to highlight the trauma and turbulence of these four girls. Now, when all those conversations began, I was extremely neurotic and couldn’t sleep for days. Then it released and 2-3 days later, when we saw the numbers it was doing, we saw that people had come in support of the film. I think when I saw people connecting to it, that soothed me down.”

The film has been called a propaganda piece by people as eminent as the Kerala CM. West Bengal banned it citing the same reason. But Vijay says many people changed their mind about it after watching it. He shares, “A lot of people, who initially called it propaganda, are now writing to me on social media, saying sorry that I said all this. They say ‘I don’t think the film is like that at all and is in fat, a poignant story, a human story’. So there is a lot of hope there.

Before he signs off, Vijay does have a message for everyone critical of the film: “Please watch the film before you judge it!”