The makers of The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond on Tuesday (February 23) declined to screen the controversial film before the Kerala High Court, changing their earlier position during the course of the hearing on petitions challenging the film’s censor certificate.
Earlier in the day, Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas had suggested that the Court view the film before deciding on the petitions seeking cancellation of the censor certificate and a stay on the film’s release. The suggestion came after the producers stated that the content shown in the controversial teaser was not part of the final film.
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The judge observed that since the film claims to be based on “true events,” concerns raised by petitioners regarding possible misrepresentation and the risk of communal tension appeared to be serious and required careful examination.
During the initial hearing, the filmmakers had agreed to remove the teaser and trailer and requested time to arrange a screening of the film for the Court. The teaser and trailer had triggered controversy due to their portrayal of the Muslim community and references to alleged “love jihad”.
However, when the hearing resumed after lunch, senior counsel S. Sreekumar, appearing for the producers, told the Court that the primary issue to be decided was whether the petitions were maintainable as public interest litigation or private litigation. This effectively meant that the makers declined to arrange a screening of the film.
Justice Thomas orally remarked that it appeared the producers were not interested in allowing the Court to view the movie and instead wanted the matter to be decided on technical grounds.
The Court is currently examining the maintainability of the petitions. The next hearing is scheduled soon, while the film is slated for release on February 27.