The Kerala High Court on Tuesday, February 24, questioned the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) over the certification granted to The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond, which has triggered outrage with its provocative portrayal of the Muslim community. The film's trailer shows the community as intending to turn India into an Islamic state by luring Hindu women under the garb of love, furthering the bogey of ‘love jihad’. 

“Kerala is secular. It lives with total harmony, but have you considered this when something is portrayed as happening all over the state? There is a wrong indication and it can even incite passion, and that is when the censor board (CBFC) comes into the picture,” Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas said, according to Bar and Bench.

The judge observed that since the film claims to be based on true events, the concerns raised by the petitioners regarding misrepresentation and the potential to incite communal tensions appeared justified.

He also made an oral remark that since the name of the state is included in the film’s title, the apprehensions of the people of Kerala cannot be ignored.

Three PILs have been filed seeking a stay on the film’s release and cancellation of its certification over concerns that it may cause communal strife. The film has been granted U/A 16+ rating after 16 cuts of scenes depicting violence and intimacy. The current rating allows teenagers to watch the film with parental assistance. The controversial film is scheduled for release on February 27.

“Normally, I do not interfere with any movie. Artistic freedom. But you are saying that it is inspired by true events and the name Kerala is given, which can create some communal tension. I will watch the movie tomorrow. You can arrange a screening of the movie tomorrow,” the judge was quoted as saying by LiveLaw.

One of the petitioners reportedly argued that while the movie title refers to Kerala, the film depicts a pan-India story. The trailer shows three Hindu women from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Kerala, being ‘deceived’ into marrying Muslim men who allegedly intend to convert them to Islam.

A day earlier, the filmmakers held a meeting in Delhi where 33 alleged victims of “forced religious conversions" were given a platform to share their experiences. The individuals were said to be from states including West Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan (Bhilwara, Gangapur), Gujarat (Rajkot), Rajasthan (Udaipur), Jammu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal), Jharkhand, Haryana (Faridabad, Gurugram), Uttar Pradesh (Meerut, Noida), Delhi, and Indore. The petitioner argued that since none of them were from Kerala, using the state’s name in the title was misleading.

The petitioner also relied on the Supreme Court’s observations in Atul Mishra v. Union of India, concerning Netflix’s proposed film titled Ghooskhor Pandit, where the court noted that films cannot denigrate a section of society through their titles.

Meanwhile, the makers of the film argued that the content shown in the teaser is not part of the movie. The court then asked for a screening of the film on Wednesday, February 25. The court has sought the Union government's stand on whether the film’s screening can be arranged before it decides the pleas challenging its censor certificate. Responding to this, the film’s producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah sought time to take instructions and inform the court of a possible date for the viewing. 

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