'Islamophobia has a good market, its market value has been increasing in Kerala as well'; VT Balram expresses suspicion over withdrawal of 'Turkish Tharkkam' from theatres

The movie 'Turkish Tharkkam', directed by Nawaz Sulaiman and starring Sunny Wayne and Lukman, was withdrawn from theatres the other day. The makers withdrew the film saying that the crew members, including the producers, were receiving threats for allegedly insulting the religion. Now, Congress leader VT Balram has come out expressing suspicion over the incident.

In his Facebook post, Balram stated that he suspects that the blasphemy controversy, threat allegation, and the withdrawal of the movie were deliberately created by the makers to save a film that would have flopped at the box office.

He also said that Islamophobia has a good market in India as well as other parts of the world and that its market value has been increasing in Kerala as well over the past few years.

Balram's words

I was not aware that a movie called 'Turkish Tharkkam' had been released in theatres. Moreover, I was unaware of any disputes or controversies surrounding the film, nor did I notice any prominent individuals or organizations threatening the filmmakers, accusing them of blasphemy. I did not see even a single post criticizing the film on my timeline on social media, including Facebook.

It is said that the filmmakers have temporarily withdrawn the film from theatres saying that some people have threatened the director or producer alleging blasphemy! There is no clarity on whether such a complaint has come up before the police. Anyways, Sangh Parivar media outlets have started celebrating this issue.

I suspect that the blasphemy controversy, threat allegation, and the withdrawal of the movie were deliberately created by the makers to save a film that would have flopped at the box office. If that is the case, then it is a serious issue. It is an extremely dangerous trend.

Islamophobia has a good market in India as well as other parts of the world and its market value has been increasing in Kerala as well over the past few years.