Goa, Indian police arrested two individuals, Sreenath and Archana Ravi, for protesting against the screening of the movie ‘The Kerala Story’ at the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. Both protesters, hailing from Kerala, were taken into custody for carrying a meme criticizing the movie.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Sreenath, a documentary maker, and Archana Ravi, an illustrator, were detained at the Panaji Police Station in Goa for an hour. They were found in possession of a paper displaying a meme with the caption “Sudipto Sen: The Kerala Story, Source: Trust me bro!” while interacting with other delegates at IFFI, expressing their view that ‘The Kerala Story’ is a “propaganda film.”

The incident led to the cancellation of their delegate passes and a ban from IFFI 2023 by the organizers. Sreenath shared on his social media handle that they were detained by the Goan police for marking their dissent against the film’s screening at IFFI, condemning it as a propaganda movie. He stated that their IFFI delegate passes were confiscated, banning them from the festival.

Archana Ravi expressed her concern about the situation, describing it as indicative of a “police state.” She recounted that the film’s director, Sudipto Sen, noticed their peaceful protest, which escalated to a verbal altercation, following which the police intervened and escorted them to the police station.

The 54th IFFI, which started on November 20 and concluded today, was a significant event attended by prominent Indian and global personalities. The festival’s programming and the consequent protest underscore the ongoing tensions and debates in India regarding the representation of political and social issues in cinema.