Tamil Nadu theatres desist from screening The Kerala Story due to 'poor reception' and 'safety reasons'

Theatres in Tamil Nadu on Sunday decided to abstain from screening the controversial 'The Kerala Story,' citing its poor performance and the law and order issues caused by the Sudipto Sen-directed film. The Madras High Court had earlier dismissed a petition seeking a ban on the multilingual venture. 
Tiruppur Subramaniam, the president of the Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners Association, refused to call the decision of the theatre owners a ban. "I don't understand why people are calling this a ban, when it is purely based on market reasons. We don't usually take up small-scale Hindi films for screening. The film has no star value and these films have a history of not doing well here. Only films with stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan can generate buzz here," he said. 
Protests against the film were seen in several parts of the state since its release on May 5. The film's trailer had generated controversy by claiming 32,000 Kerala women had been forcibly converted to Islam and recruited by ISIS. After the veracity of the figure was questioned by the Kerala HC, the filmmakers agreed to take down the trailer.  
Mariappan, owner of the Chennai-based Albert Theatres, said audience safety was another reason for TN theatres shying away from screening the film. "Audience safety is paramount. Screening this film could lead to a bigger law and order, and safety issue. That is why we decided not to screen the film," he said.