The makers of the Malayalam film, Haal, have moved the Kerala High Court against the Central Board of Film Certification’s directions for the deletion or modification of several lines of dialogue and scenes, including one that involves eating beef biryani. Lines of dialogue that the CBFC wants removed include those with references to “dhwaj pranamam”, a salutation associated with the RSS; “Ganapati Vattam”, which is what the BJP suggested Wayanad district’s Sulthan Bathery be renamed as; and “abhyantara shatrukkal”, which means internal enemies. The board also sought the deletion of a scene involving the eating of beef biryani and a sequence in a song where a woman uses a burqa to hide her identity. Admitting the petition, the Bench of Justice N Nagaresh sought a response from the CBFC in the next hearing, set to be held on October 14. The regional office of the CBFC informed the producer that the revising committee and the board have come to the conclusion that the film is not suitable for unrestricted public exhibition, but may be suitable for public exhibition restricted to adults after making deletions and modifications. “The narrative of the film deals with socio-cultural dynamics and also involves religious sensitivities. Hence, the revising committee unanimously recommended grant of ‘A’ (certified as suitable for adults only) with modifications to the film,” the CBFC informed JVJ Productions. Apart from the deletions, the makers of the film were also asked to modify several parts, including a police interrogation scene, blur the name of ‘Holy Angels College of Nursing’, and to get the consent of the Thamrassery Bishop regarding the scenes in which he is depicted. “The police and Kerala state authorities have been depicted in the film in a bad light. Hence, suitably modify the scene depicting discrimination against certain religious groups, wherever it occurs,” the makers were told. The director of the film, Veera, said the CBFC’s regional office in Thiruvananthapuram had earlier agreed to issue a screening certificate. “Later, without informing us, the movie was referred to the revising committee in Mumbai, which denied the certificate and wanted cuts and modifications made,” he said. “They (CBFC) allege that we have a hidden agenda behind the movie. Our film does not depict violence or cruelty. It is about an interfaith love story, where there is pressure for religious conversion. But both the bride and bridegroom decide to stick to their faith. We are sending a positive message that nobody should clash over religion,” he said. The director also questioned why the film would be given an adults only certification even if the cuts and modifications were made. The petitioners in the High Court case, producer Juby Thomas and director Veera, sought a direction from the court to the CBFC that the film be given a screening certificate at the earliest. They also sought the framing of fresh guidelines for considering censorship applications by the Union government and the CBFC. The petitioners asked the court to appoint an advocate commission to watch the movie and report its contents before the court.
