The Kerala High Court on Tuesday said it would watch Malayalam film ‘Haal’ starring Shane Nigam on the evening of October 25 to determine whether the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is justified in suggesting that certain scenes in the movie be cut or modified.
A single bench of Justice V G Arun, while considering the plea filed by director and producer of the movie against CBFC’s grant of A certification to the film as well as various cuts suggested, including scenes of eating beef biryani, heroine dance sequence wearing burqa, etc., said that he would watch the film to decide the dispute.
The court fixed October 25, Saturday, as the date for viewing the film, in the presence of the petitioners (film’s makers), and the respondents (CBFC), along with their counsel. The screening is likely to happen at the Padamugal Colour Planet studio in Kakkanad. The case will be listed thereafter on October 30, 2025.
The changes suggested by the CBFC included the deletion of a scene showing beef biriyani being eaten, blurring an institution’s name, and removing a song sequence where the lead actress appears in Muslim attire. The CBFC had indicated that it could certify the film as A (adults only) for its release, once these changes are carried out.
The movie is about an interfaith love story between a Muslim boy and a Christian girl. The filmmakers have disagreed with the cuts proposed by the CBFC for the film’s release, which was initially scheduled for September.
Earlier, the court had permitted the Catholic Congress to implead itself in the plea. In its affidavit, the Catholic Congress had stated that the film hurts the religious sentiments of Christians since the Bishop of Thamarassery is portrayed in the film as someone who is encouraging inter-faith marriages.
The Catholic Congress has also alleged that the film promotes “love jihad” and could potentially hurt the religious sentiments of the Christian community and affect communal harmony.