A Lancashire cinema chain said it won’t be showing a controversial Indian movie.

‘The Kerala Story’ has been criticised for depicting Muslims as terrorists and opened in the UK on Friday 19 May. On a promotional poster among the list of cinemas said to be showing the movie were the REEL Cinemas in Blackburn and Burnley.

However, REEL cinemas confirmed it had no plans to show the movie.

The film has been criticised for being ‘anti-Muslim’ and for propagating stereotypes. It is said to falsely claim that thousands of women from the Indian state of Kerala have been converted to Islam and recruited into ISIS over the past decade. The true figure according to independent human rights groups was said to be around 200.

There have been concerns over the plot and content which has been described as ‘right-wing’ Indian propaganda.

Some parts of India have banned the film whilst others have attempted to promote it. The film has also found support among some Indian politicians but others have said it was not based on true events and could cause communal clashes.

The film depicts a fictional story of three Indian women from the southern state who join the Islamic State group.

The plot revolves around Shalini Unnikrishnan, a woman who converted to Islam. She shares her harrowing journey of aspiring to become a nurse, only to be abducted from her home and coerced by extremist groups. She is eventually manipulated into joining ISIS and ends up imprisoned in Afghanistan.

Earlier this week, a screening of the movie at Cineworld in Birmingham was disrupted by protestors. The cinema chain said the screening resumed following the delay.

In a YouTube video posted by 5Pillaz demonstrators can be heard saying, ‘This movie is an absolute lie.

“This is lies and we will not accept this type of propaganda.”

The screening was not half full and following arguments with some customers the protestors are escorted from the screening by cinema staff.

Last week, more than 100 people were arrested in the Indian state of Maharashtra after one person died and eight others were injured.

The violence was said to be triggered by a social media post on the movie.