'Haal': Kerala High Court Will Watch The Film For A Second Time

Just days after the Kerala High Court watched Shane Nigam’s new film Haal, the same court has said it will watch the yet again. According to The Hindu, the court will watch the film “prior to deciding on an appeal filed by the Catholic Congress against a single judge’s order to grant ‘A’ certification to the film without deleting some scenes pertaining to the Christian community." The court went on to add that it would impose costs on the petitioner if no objectionable content was found, as alleged by the organisation. The report said that his matter is now posted to be heard on December 4.

According to a report on The News Minute, the makers of the Malayalam also recently agreed to remove a scene involving characters eating a plate of beef biryani. The Kerala High Court on November 14 had directed the makers to also approach the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) again to decide on the next steps for the film’s release. This report adds that the CBFC had originally mandated six cuts in the film while also restricting Haal to an Adults-only (A) certificate.

The film’s release has already been pushed twice, first to September 19 and then later to October 10. Among the scenes that were asked to be removed is one in which the characters of the film are said to be consuming beef biryani. The film, directed by Veera, also stars Sakshi Vaidya. Haal, led by Shane Nigam, is said to be an interfaith love story between a Muslim boy and a Christian girl. The film’s producers approached the Kerala High Court against the CBFC. Apart from the scene involving beef, the CBFC objected to other scenes, including one in which a character wears a purdah to hide identity, a shot of characters wearing a rakhi, a scene where a character says ‘Dhwaja Pranamam’ (a greeting associated with the RSS), and a reference to ‘Ganapathi Vattam’. Shane Nigam was last seen in Balti.