Don't generalise Kerala using isolated incidents: Tovino Thomas about The Kerala Story

Mumbai: Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas was recently in Mumbai for a private screening of his film 2018 - Everyone is a Hero.

The actor spoke against the controversial film 'The Kerala Story' which has been doing very well at the box office. He called out the makers of the film changing the number of women the story is based on from 32,000 to just three. Tovino questioned why the figure 32,000 was used in the first place for promotions and trailers when everyone knew it was a fake number.

He also addressed the subject of the film and said women have been trapped by ISIS recruiters in Kerala but they are isolated incidents. "Kerala has about 35 million people and just because of these three isolated incidents, you can't generalise it".

Tovino also spoke about the way news and fake news are circulated in today's world and said that even news organisations are not serving facts but opinions. He also requested that people stop believing blindly and start thinking rationally. The actor also said spreading misinformation is bad.

On the other hand, 2018 - the film based on the catastrophic flood that hit Kerala four years ago - was coincidently released alongside 'The Kerala Story'. The film is doing well at the box office and critics and audiences are hailing it as the "real Kerala story". The private screening in Mumbai got a standing ovation from the audience. Tovino seemed emotional at the response and hugged his director. He also thanked fans for the overwhelming response.

After the first four days since its release, 2018 has already grossed over Rs 13 crores in Kerala. The figure is expected to rise to Rs 17 crore today. The film is anticipated to collect Rs 25 crore by the end of the week.