Film is a medium of expression. It can portray the societal ills plaguing the society and can also be used as a means of propaganda. Vivek Agnihotri directed ‘The Kashmir Files’ attracted the attention of many prior to its release and was dubbed to be an ‘agenda’ driven movie produced only to fulfil the political objectives of the ruling establishment.

Let’s not get into this debate. It needs to be accepted that ‘The Kashmir Files’ turned out to be a box office hit and undoubtedly it created an impression in the minds of the people that the Kashmiri pandits were forcefully moved out of their land.

Well it’s important to understand the narrative behind such moves. Banning cannot be condoned at all. West Bengal has become the first state to ban ‘The Kerala Story’. By doing so Mamata Banerjee has invited unnecessary trouble for herself. The art of not ‘agreeing’ to ‘agree’ with the viewpoints of opponents is called democracy.

Is our country becoming intolerant? ISIS is a dreaded militant organisation. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled states have decided to make ‘The Kerala Story’ tax free. This decision is debatable because why would a particular film be singled out for such a facility?

One can smell politics behind such decisions. Despite this banning cannot be an answer. Film is an art. It is a means of expression. Let the viewers decide whether this film has any hidden agenda. Situation goes out of hand when politics enters every nook and corner of the society.

A similar controversy erupted before the release of Shahrukh Khan starrer ‘Pathan’. The controversy was a blessing in disguise for the producer and ‘Pathan’ set new parameters in box office.

‘The Kerala Story’ seems to be heading in a similar way. We have very few serious film makers left in our country. The likes of Shyam Benegal, Sudhir Mishra, Govind Nihlani and Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi among others. All of them deal with serious issues.

Dwivedi’s ‘Pinjar’ has left an indelible impression in our minds. ‘The Kerala Story’ is just a film. Let’s not allow it to become a topic of surcharged political discussion.