The Kerala High Court has decided to personally screen Shane Nigam’s Haal before ruling on the CBFC’s directive to delete scenes involving beef biryani and religious references. Justice V.G. Arun announced he would watch the film himself
Still from Haal
Actor Shane Nigam's Haal has landed in trouble with the censorship directed by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The board instructed the makers to remove a scene featuring beef biryani and dialogues related to a ceremonial salute. The makers of the Malayalam film went to court to contest the censorship. On Friday, the Kerala High Court decided to watch the much-anticipated film before giving its verdict on the matter.
What happened in the court
During the hearing, counsel for the film stressed that there was nothing objectionable in the content and requested that either the court or a nominee appointed by it watch the film. Justice V.G. Arun then announced that he himself would view the film and would inform the date on Tuesday.
He also directed that a member of the Censor Board and the standing counsel be present during the screening. The filmmakers expressed their wish for more people to join the viewing.
The CBFC demands
In a letter to producer Juby Thomas of JVJ Productions, the CBFC noted that the cuts and alterations specified in the annexure should be carried out before the certificate is issued. The annexure stated the removal of a song sequence where the character Maria is seen using Muslim attire to conceal her identity, the deletion of scenes stereotyping communities, such as a police interrogation of schoolboys along with a dialogue referring to Kannadigas. It also sought removal of dialogues and scenes affecting Christian sentiments.
The CBFC also calls for the chopping of court-related documents and data, as well as dialogues and visuals deemed derogatory to cultural organisations, including references to 'dhwaj pranam', 'Ganapathi vattam', and 'sangham kavalund'. 'Dhwaj pranam' means salutation to the flag and is associated with the RSS. 'Ganapathi vattam' was a name suggested by BJP leaders for Sultan Bathery in Wayanad. 'Sangham Kavalund' implies "the Sangh will protect you".
The committee has also reportedly asked for the deletion of beef biriyani eating scenes as well as the blurring of Rakhi visuals wherever they appear.
Challenging the order, the film’s producers approached the High Court, arguing that the proposed cuts compromise the narrative and infringe on artistic freedom. Haal, directed by debutant Veer, was originally slated for release on September 12 but was postponed due to the row.
More about the film
The project, billed as one of Shane Nigam’s biggest to date, also features Sakshi Vaidya in the female lead.
The film’s ensemble cast includes Johnny Antony, Nath, Vineeth Beep Kumar, K. Madhupal, Sangeetha Madhavan Nair, Joy Mathew, Nishant Sagar, Niyas Becker, Riyas Narmakala, Suresh Krishna, Ravindran, Sohan Seenulal, Manoj KU, Unniraj and Sreedhanya.
‘Haal’ is planned for a simultaneous release in Malayalam, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada, and also marks the Malayalam debut of Bollywood singer Ankit Tiwari.
(with inputs from IANS)
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