New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear on May 15 a plea against the Kerala High Court order refusing to stay the release of the controversial multilingual film "The Kerala Story". Senior advocate Kapil Sibal on Tuesday mentioned the matter for urgent listing before a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha.
When the bench inquired whether the high court has passed an order in the matter, Sibal said it has refused to stay the release of film. "We will keep it on Monday (May 15)," the bench said. On May 5, the high court refused to stay the release of the movie and said the trailer does not contain anything offensive to any particular community as a whole.
The high court noted the producers' submission that they do not intend to retain an "offending teaser" which contained a statement that "32,000 women" from Kerala were converted and joined a terrorist organisation. It said the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has examined the movie and found it suitable for public exhibition.
The high court also noted that the producers have published a disclaimer along with the movie which specifically says it is fictionalised and a dramatised version of events and that the film doesn't claim accuracy or factuality of historic events. "The Kerala Story" starring Adah Sharma was released in cinemas on Friday.
Asserting that secular Kerala society will accept the film for what it is, the High Court had asked petitioners how the movie, which it observed is fiction and not history, would creates sectarianism and conflict in the society? The court sought to know whether the entire trailer was against society.
"Nothing will happen just because the film is screened. The teaser of the film was released in November. What was offensive in the film? What is wrong in saying that Allah is the only God? The country gives the citizen the right to believe in their religion and God and spread it. What was offensive in the trailer?," the court observed while considering a batch of petitions seeking to cancel the censor certificate of the film.
"So many movies have already come out about such organizations. There have been references against Hindu monks and Christian priests in many films before. Did you see all this in the way of fiction? What is so special now? How does this movie create sectarianism and conflict in the society?" the court observed. The petitioners argued that the film would inject poison into the minds of innocent people.
The petitioners argued that no agency has yet detected the existence of 'Love Jihad' in Kerala. A Division bench comprising of Justice N Nagaresh and Justice Mohammed Nias CP has considered the matter. Helmed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the film has triggered a massive political row with various leaders reacting to the upcoming movie.
'The Kerala Story' stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani in the lead roles. The trailer of Sen's film 'The Kerala Story' came under fire as it claimed that 32,000 girls from the state went missing and later joined the terrorist group, ISIS. Faced with backlash the makers then withdrew the figure and called the movie the story of three women from Kerala, in its trailer description. (With Agency inputs)
