Day after Bengal bans ‘The Kerala Story’, UP makes it tax-free

Mumbai, May 10: The Uttar Pradesh government announced Tuesday morning that the film The Kerala Story will be given the status of “tax-free” in the state. A government spokesperson also said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is likely to watch the movie at a special screening along with his Cabinet ministers.

In a tweet, Adityanath wrote, “The Kerala Story will be made tax-free in Uttar Pradesh.”

The move by the UP Government to make The Kerala Story tax-free comes a day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered a ban on the film in the state, citing a threat to law and order. After a press conference at the state administration headquarters, Banerjee ordered Chief Secretary Harikrishna Dwivedi to issue a statewide ban, saying, “The film won’t be shown in any hall in Bengal.”

The film, which Opposition parties have alleged spreads falsehoods regarding the conversion of women to Islam in Kerala and their migration abroad to join ISIS, has also run into problems in Tamil Nadu, On Sunday, the Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners’ Association withdrew it from multiplexes.

The BJP had accused the DMK government in Tamil Nadu of abusing power, and claimed that there is no freedom of expression in West Bengal.

Last week, the Kerala High Court had rejected the demand to stay the screening of The Kerala Story and refused to declare the ‘A’ certification issued by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) illegal. A day before that, the Supreme Court had refused to entertain a prayer to direct the Kerala High Court to hear a petition challenging the clearance granted by CBFC to the film.

In March 2022, the UP government had given tax exemption to the film The Kashmir Files. In January 2019, the UP government, led by Adityanath, had given state GST exemption to the film Uri: The Surgical Strike across the state.