The Kerala Story makers announce next film Bastar about 'another gripping true incident that will leave you speechless'

Bastar is based on a ‘true incident’, according to director Sudipto Sen and producer Vipul Shah. See the first poster here.

Director Sudipto Sen and producer Vipul Shah, makers of The Kerala Story, have announced their next project Bastar. On Monday, Sunshine Pictures, the production banner, made the announcement on Twitter. According to the makers, Bastar is based on a 'true incident' and will be released next year on April 5.

Bastar's release date was announced along with the first poster.

Bastar announcement

Sunshine Pictures tweeted, "Unveiling our next Bastar. Prepare to witness another gripping true incident that will leave you speechless. Mark your calendars for April 5, 2024!"

The film's poster featured a forest in the middle of huge and ominous clouds of smoke after gunshots and a red flag. A rifle was also seen. The text on the poster read, “Hidden truth that will take the nation by a storm – Bastar.”

Reactions to Bastar poster

Reacting to the tweet, a fan requested the makers to cast Vidyut Jammwal in the upcoming film. He tweeted, "Director and producer should approach @VidyutJammwal for this movie." A fan also tweeted, 'Eagerly awaiting this film. Hoping that this will be equally hard-hitting in terms of exposing the truth. Kudos to the team for reuniting in the face of industry backlash for The Kerala Story!!!!"

About The Kerala Story

Written and directed by Sudipto Sen, The Kerala Story stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani in lead roles. The film was released on May 5. It is produced by Vipul Shah and crossed ₹200 crore at the box office.

The Kerala Story controversy

The controversy around The Kerala Story started after the release of its trailer. It claimed that over 32000 women from Kerala were forced to convert to Islam and were recruited to the terror group ISIS. Later, the figure was omitted from the trailer and the trailer description mentioned it as the story of three women from Kerala.

The Kerala Story triggered a political row with many calling it a propaganda film. While celebrities like Kangana Ranaut, Ram Gopal Varma, Vivek Agnihotri and others came out in its defence, a few people such as Kamal Haasan and Naseeruddin Shah expressed their displeasure with the film. The screening of the film was also briefly banned by the West Bengal government.

The Kerala Story director on backlash

In a recent interview with Hindustan Times, director Sudipto Sen had said that no political party should have opposed The Kerala Story. He had said, “I was not prepared for the backlash. I was set for the reaction and opposition, yes. This is because I never thought the political debate which has erupted, is necessary.”

The filmmaker further said, “No political party should have opposed us because we are talking about stories of girls and their lives. If only they would have said ‘yes, these girls have gone through enough, let’s debate over different aspects to it’.”