Desk. An important turning point took place in the Kerala High Court on Tuesday when the court said that it will watch the controversial film ‘The Kerala Story 2’ itself. The comments were made during the hearing of a petition filed against the film over its certification and allegations of allegedly misrepresenting the state of Kerala. Hearing the petition, Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas said that courts generally refrain from interfering with artistic expression. However, he also clarified that when the name of a state like Kerala is included in the title of a film, then the concerns of the people there cannot be ignored.
He said that Kerala is known for harmony and secularism, where people live together in peace. In such a situation, if the film indicates that some controversial incident is happening in the entire state, then it may send a wrong message and create tension. The court raised the question whether the Censor Board had seriously considered these aspects. The judge said he would like to see the film before passing any further orders. He directed the producers to arrange the screening on Wednesday and inform the court about the time and place. The matter has been fixed for hearing again at 1:45 pm.
The lawyer appearing for the producers of the film argued that there is nothing in the movie that targets any religion or community. He said that the film is not against any particular class. The petitioners allege that the film has shown some young women as victims of love jihad, while none of the alleged victims are from Kerala. Despite this, the film has been named ‘The Kerala Story 2’, which according to him can harm the image of the state.
During the hearing, the court mentioned an old case in which some scenes from the film were removed after objections. The court indicated that the same standards could be adopted if needed in the present case. The film is directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh, while it is produced by Vipul Amrit Lal Shah. Now everyone’s eyes are on what instructions the High Court gives after watching the film. This issue is not limited to just one film, but has also become an important debate on the balance between artistic freedom, censorship and social sensitivity.
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