On Friday, the Kerala High Court refused to stay the exhibition of the controversial film “The Kerala Story”. However, the court granted permission to two petitioners to continue their complaint filed against the film before the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
The film has been the subject of controversy due to a teaser claiming the conversion of 32,000 women. The producer of the film agreed to remove this portion of the teaser. Despite this, several petitions were filed against the film, citing that it could incite communal tensions in the state.
The petitioners sought a stay on the exhibition of the film until the matter was resolved by the CBFC. However, the court refused to grant the stay and instead allowed the petitioners to pursue their complaint before the CBFC.
This decision by the Kerala High Court has opened the door for further review of the film by the CBFC. The controversy surrounding the film and its alleged communal overtones continue to stir debate in Kerala.
On Friday, the Kerala High Court refused to stay the exhibition of the controversial film “The Kerala Story”. However, the court granted permission to two petitioners to continue their complaint filed against the film before the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
The film has been the subject of controversy due to a teaser claiming the conversion of 32,000 women. The producer of the film agreed to remove this portion of the teaser. Despite this, several petitions were filed against the film, citing that it could incite communal tensions in the state.
The petitioners sought a stay on the exhibition of the film until the matter was resolved by the CBFC. However, the court refused to grant the stay and instead allowed the petitioners to pursue their complaint before the CBFC.
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This decision by the Kerala High Court has opened the door for further review of the film by the CBFC. The controversy surrounding the film and its alleged communal overtones continue to stir debate in Kerala.
In a recent development in the ongoing controversy surrounding the film “The Kerala Story”, the Division Bench of Justice N. Nagaresh and Justice Sophy Thomas noted that one of the petitioners, represented by Advocate P.K. Ibrahim in WP(C) 15303/2023, had already filed a complaint under Rule 32 of The Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 1983, before the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
Advocate Kaleeswaram Raj, appearing for another petitioner named Anoop VR, informed the bench that he had also filed a similar complaint before the board. The bench granted permission to both petitioners to pursue their complaints before the CBFC.
Rule 32 of the Rules, 1983, allows for the re-examination of certified films upon receiving complaints from the public. Anoop VR, in his complaint filed before the CBFC, has alleged that the film contains baseless and factually erroneous claims that could lead to the humiliation of the state and demonization of a particular community.
The decision by the Kerala High Court to allow the petitioners to pursue their complaints before the CBFC has opened up the possibility of further scrutiny of the film, which has been the subject of intense debate and controversy in the state of Kerala.
During the proceedings today, the bench took note of the submission made by the producer of the controversial film “The Kerala Story”. The producer informed the court that they would be removing the teaser of the film from their social media accounts. The teaser in question had made claims that over 32,000 women from Kerala were recruited to ISIS, a statement that had caused widespread outrage and condemnation.
The decision by the producer to remove the teaser was made in response to several petitions that had been filed against the film, which has been at the center of a heated controversy in the state of Kerala. The move is expected to defuse some of the tension surrounding the film, although the case continues to be under scrutiny by the Kerala High Court and the Central Board of Film Certification.
The Kerala High Court, in its recent ruling on the controversial film “The Kerala Story”, has declined to provide interim relief against the movie. The court noted that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) had already certified the film for public viewing. The bench also reviewed the film’s trailer and concluded that it did not contain any content that could be deemed offensive to any particular community.
The court further observed that the film contained a disclaimer stating that it was a fictionalized version of the events, and pointed out that none of the petitioners who had filed complaints against the film had actually watched it. Despite the court’s decision not to grant interim relief, the case continues to be closely monitored by various stakeholders, including activists, legal experts, and members of the film industry, who are closely following the legal proceedings and the public debate surrounding the film.