Ahead of the release of director Kamal’s upcoming film Aami – a biopic on the acclaimed writer Madhavikutty alias Kamala Das that stars Manju Warrier, a petition has been filed in the Kerala High Court seeking a ban on the film. In this, the petitioner has asked for a directive to Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), restraining it from issuing a censor certificate for the film. The film will release soon.
Aami is an upcoming 2018 Malayalam-language Indian biographical film written and directed by Kamal. It is based on the life of writer Kamala Surayya. The film stars Manju Warrier as Surayya, along with Murali Gopy, Tovino Thomas, and Anoop Menon
The petition filed by HC lawyer KP Ramachandran, states that the film is made with the intention of supporting and justifying ‘Love Jihad’. The petitioner also accused director Kamal of twisting the real life incidents of Madhavikutty in the name of film-making freedom.
“The conversion of Madhavikutty into Islam was the beginning of “love jihad” in Kerala. Love jihad is the grave menace the society now faces in Kerala”, reads the petition.
“This hon’ble high court of Kerala had occasion to go deep into the subject and came out with shocking revelations that love jihad is taking place in an enormous manner. Now the well-oiled machineries are working for meeting the said end. The film ‘Aami’ is intended to be a catalystic agent for the said process,” adds the petition.
The petitioner also said that by emphasising on the aspect of religious conversion, the film would send a wrong message to the society at a time when it is vulnerable to religious issues.
He also blamed director Kamal for using his position as the president of Kerala State Chalachithra Academy for this purpose.
Accusing the director of skipping the true incidents in the life of Madhavikutty, the petition alleged that former Muslim League MP and orator Abdul Samad Samadani had developed intimacy with her and converted her to Islam as part of a terrorist-funded plan. Whenthe noted writer learned about the plot, she was upset over it and lost faith in Islam.
The petitioner alleges that these critical details have been omitted from the film to justify Love Jihad and give a clean chit to Samadani, added the report.
Madhavikutty was among the first Indian women writers to openly write about female sexuality and had also courted controversy when she later converted to Islam.
