Muslim activists disrupt The Kerala Story screening in Birmingham

Toplined by Adah Sharma, filmmaker Sudipto Sen’s The Kerala Story has been hitting headlines ever since entering cinemas on May 5, 2023. Despite facing opposition from several states and political leaders, the film has been performing exceptionally well in India and some key international territories. Resultantly, it has managed to go past the much-coveted £20 million club at the domestic box office and is expected to touch the £25 million mark in the coming days.

The Kerala Story recently hit the UK theatres. However, its screening was disrupted in Birmingham on Friday after Muslim activists stormed a theatre claiming the film was spreading Islamophobia.

A 10-minute clip uploaded on the British Muslim news website ‘5Pillars’ showed Kashmiri activist Shakeel Afsar, 35, with a group of demonstrators entering the Cineworld theatre and causing disruption and halting the screening of the film.

In the clip, Afsar along with at least two others can be seen asking to speak to the cinema manager about the 'Islamophobic' nature of the film.

The staff at the Cineworld were forced to pause the screening, with audience members seen confronting the activists and telling them to leave the theatre.

After the activists were taken out by the security personnel, a theatre attendant could be heard telling the audience: "If you want to watch this film, you should calm down first. I am going to resume this film. We're trying to deal with this in the best way we can. We've paused the film, we've turned the lights on, we've called the police."

The Kerala Story revolves around a Hindu woman from Kerala, played by Adah Sharma, who is brainwashed to accept Islam and go to Syria.

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