Filmmakers Sen and Shah at it again, after ‘Kerala Story’, it is ‘Naxal Story’ now

A teaser of the upcoming film Bastar, The Naxal Story released this week calls for a ‘genocide’ of JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) students, alleged JNU students’ union president Aishe Ghosh in a post on X.

“We demand immediate action against Sudipto Sen, Adah Sharma, and Vipul Amrutlal Shah for the open call for genocide of JNU students. Such a step to mislead people is a criminal act. All legal steps will be taken and we appeal to our alumni and V-C to take urgent action,” said Ghosh in a post on X.

Directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the film is scheduled for a theatrical release on 15 March. The teaser showcases a minute-long monologue by Adah Sharma as IPS officer Neerja Madhavan. In an Instagram post shared by Sharma, the IPS officer's character can be heard calling for the public execution of "left-leaning pseudo intellectuals" of big cities who “side with Naxals”.

In the short teaser, the IPS officer names JNU as a place where students allegedly celebrated the killing of CRPF officers by Naxals in Bastar, Chhattisgarh.

The Students Federation of India (SFI) accused the filmmakers of “weaponising cinema for right-wing gain”, and said the film was a “dangerous manifestation of hate-mongering and communal propaganda aimed at demonising institutions like JNU, its students and its progressive ideologies”.

The SFI has also questioned the timing of the film, adding that it was concerning how it coincided with the upcoming Lok Sabha elections scheduled for April-May.

The teaser is obviously aimed at generating controversy and interest in the film, even if the filmmakers have to delete scenes and drop dialogues following either a public uproar or intervention by a court.