The Kerala High Court on Tuesday questioned the Central Board of Film Certification about the certification granted to the The Kerala Story 2 - Goes Beyond, noting that the movie seemingly portrays a secular state like Kerala through a communal lens, The Bar and Bench reported.
A bench of Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas said that it would watch the movie before deciding on three public interest litigations seeking a stay on its release and cancellation of its certification claiming that it may trigger communal tensions, The News Minute reported.
“Kerala is so secular,” Bar and Bench quoted Thomas as saying. “It lives with total harmony, but have you considered this when something is portrayed as happening all over the state…There is a wrong indication and can even incite passion and that is when the censor board comes in picture.”
The film, produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, is scheduled to be released on February 27. It allegedly depicts women from various states being lured into relationships with Muslim men and coerced into religious conversion. The teaser released on February 17 includes a scene in which a Hindu woman is forced to consume beef.
On Tuesday, the judge said that he usually does not interfere with the release of any film because it is a “creation of art”, Bar and Bench reported.
He added that since the film claims to be based on true events, the concerns raised by the petitioners regarding misrepresentation and the possibility of inciting communal tensions appeared justified.
The makers of the film, meanwhile, argued that the content shown in the teaser is not part of the movie, The News Minute reported.
The court then asked that the film be screened for the judge on Wednesday before it decides on the petitions. Responding to this, the film’s producer sought time to take instructions and inform the court of a possible date for the viewing.
The advocate representing the filmmakers also agreed to remove the teasers released until the court decides on the matter, Bar and Bench reported.
A day after the teaser was released, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan criticised the film on social media, alleging that it was “aimed at sowing hatred against Kerala and insulting our secular tradition”.
“It is the responsibility of each of us to prove that the secular foundation of Kerala will not be destroyed by false propaganda,” Vijayan said on social media.
Also read: Going off script: Our front row view of another Kerala story
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