Justice V G Arun of the Kerala High Court on Saturday watched Shane Nigam's romantic musical Haal at a closed-door screening in Kakkanad, Kochi, as part of proceedings in a case concerning the film’s certification. The screening took place in the evening at Color Planet Studio, with counsel for the petitioners and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in attendance. Representatives of the Catholic Congress, which has been allowed to join the case, were also present.
The petition before the court challenges the CBFC revision committee’s directions to excise or obscure several portions of Haal, directed by debutant Veera, before granting a certificate. In their plea, producer Juby Thomas and director Muhammed Rafeeq argue that the cuts demanded undermine the integrity of the narrative. The disputed visuals include the depiction of beef biriyani, certain sequences involving Christian religious references, the use of Muslim attire by a key character, and the instruction to blur a rakhi visible in multiple scenes.
The Catholic Congress sought to be impleaded in the case on the ground that the film allegedly contains an implication that the Thamarassery Bishop endorses “love jihad”, which they say offends religious sentiments and may disrupt public harmony. The court admitted them to the proceedings after they filed an affidavit outlining these objections.
The filmmakers told the court that they had already completed the film and had planned a release for September 12. They alerted that the CBFC’s directives, if left standing, would both delay release and push the production into further financial strain. They have also asserted that Haal does not incite hatred or violence, and that its engagement with social and religious themes remains within lawful bounds.
The plea concerning Haal will return to the High Court on October 30 for further consideration.
