Bhai- Sleeper Cell poster out - The Kerala Story killed Farhana

The film "Bhai Sleeper Cell" features a poster with the tagline "Religion is a political tool," depicting a man wearing a Muslim skull cap surrounded by guns, ammunition, cash, and various packets. This portrayal has raised concerns among groups that oppose negative representations of their community. However, Director Kamalnathan Bhuvan Kumar, in order to dispel any notion of tarnishing the Muslim community, involved Indian Muslim League ex-MLA and party secretary KAM Mohamad Abubacker (IUML) and Arjun Sampath of Hindu Makkal Katchi, along with Bishop SM, in releasing the poster, despite not having seen the film. The director emphasizes that "Bhai" should not be interpreted as referring to a person from the Muslim community, but rather as a term for brother or friend. He assures that the film's portrayal of sleeper cells is intended to promote peace. The story revolves around the actions of a few individuals that bring a bad reputation to the community as a whole. Aadhava Easwara plays the lead role in the movie, with Nikisha as the heroine and Dheeraj Kher as the villain. The film has been produced by the director- hero, along with Sri Niva, and was shot primarily indoors over a span of 23 days. The music is composed by Jithin K Roshan. The film highlights the exploitation of poverty, where religious leaders manipulate people's beliefs and use them for their own political ideologies. The film has been given a U/A rating by the censor board, with some sound mutes, and the title has been retained as it is considered fitting for the subject. PVR, who also distributed "The Kerala Story," has taken up the distribution of this movie, set to release in June. The director explains that the film's non-linear narrative style is innovative, with the first part posing several questions that are answered in the second part. As of now, the film "Farhana," which was released last week, is no longer in theaters. Although major groups like the Muslim League, an ally of the ruling party DMK, expressed objections, it turned out to be a box office disaster. On its opening day, it collected Rs 34 lakhs but witnessed a continuous decline. However, it received positive reviews.

The release of the movie "Farhana," directed by Nelson Venkatesan, was adversely affected by the fallout of "The Kerala Story" at the box office. The film's promotional poster featured only Aishwarya Rajesh wearing a burqa. As word spread that the movie portrayed Muslim women negatively, fringe groups began issuing threats and calling for a boycott. When "The Kerala Story" was screened, BJP leaders and their followers initially attended the movie halls, while the general public stayed away due to the presence of police officers conducting security checks, which intimidated many. As anticipated, the film's box office collections gradually declined since the support of BJP activists alone was insufficient to sustain it. Eventually, PVR withdrew the film from screening. In the case of "Farhana," individuals such as Manushiyaputhran, a renowned writer who is also a Muslim, provided a clear explanation that there were no scenes portraying Muslim women in a negative light. In fact, he had written the dialogues himself. Despite being recognized as a progressive writer, his input was disregarded by conservative groups. Farhana, the main character, is a housewife and mother living with her husband and in-laws in a small, lower middle-class family. They run a shop selling non-branded footwear, but due to the lack of demand for such items, they struggle financially. To improve their situation, Farhana takes a job at a call center, initially trained to persuade customers to apply for credit cards. However, she unexpectedly finds herself transferred to a phone sex talk center where the pay and incentives are higher. Initially repulsed by the explicit questions asked by callers, Farhana eventually forms an emotional connection with a caller who confides in her. Unfortunately, these conversations are later used to blackmail her. The film avoids any sleazy portrayal or a transformation of Farhana from a traditional, conservative woman to a more carefree character, as commonly seen in such narratives. The focus on the sex talk aspect is brief and not emphasized. The Muslim religion is portrayed as devout, with Farhana even observing her namaz (prayers) during breaks at work. Farhana's office colleagues discourage her from taking up the phone sex job, believing it does not suit her mentality. On her first day in this new role, she becomes physically sick upon hearing the conversations. The film is technically well-executed, with exceptional cinematography, and features outstanding music by Jutin. Aishwarya, who plays the title role, does justice to the character. Unfortunately, the film faced controversy, which deterred the average moviegoer due to perceptions of it being anti-Muslim propaganda. The only drawback of the film is its slow pacing in narration. It would be better suited for viewing on an OTT (over-the-top) platform rather than in theaters. As a damage control measure, a special screening was organized for Muslim groups after the film's release. Representatives from the SDPI (Social Democratic Party of India), including State General Secretary Asst Umar Farooq, State Secretary AK Karim, Chennai North Zone President Muhammad Rasheed, and South Chennai North District President Muhammad Salim, participated in the screening. At the end of the movie, State General Secretary A.S. Umar Farooq stated that "Farhana movie does not contain any controversial scenes or scandals." He praised the realistic portrayal of a woman from a modest background and expressed gratitude to director Mr. Nelson for taking early screening measures to prevent unnecessary problems and demonstrating a sense of social responsibility. Despite SDPI providing a favorable assessment, IUML has yet to do the same. Today, Book My Show does not display any screenings of the movie in any theaters, although it managed to collect approximately Rs 1.25 crores. Recent reports indicate that police officers have been stationed outside Aishwarya Rajesh's residence. Additionally, Aishwarya's mother, who was listed as one of the awardees for the Governor's Mother's Day, reportedly did not attend the event. In an attempt to support Producer S R Prabhu, who is also a relative, actors Suriya and Karthi took to Twitter to praise the film, but their efforts proved unsuccessful.Dubbed version in Hindi too has been released and got bad reviews and praise for Aishwarya Rajesh.