Malayalam Film ‘Haal’ Gets Clean Chit To Release

After several postponements and delays, Malayalam film Haal will finally release in theatres after a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court dismissed appeals filed by the Catholic Congress and the Union government. The appeals challenged a single judge’s decision to set aside the A certification issued by the Central Board of Film Certification(CBFC) to the Shane Nigam film. The film's now reportedly set for a December release.

According to a report in The Hindu, the Catholic Congress contested that Haal had scenes showing forceful religious conversion. It also misrepresented interfaith relationships and portrayed the Thamarassery bishop as a supporter of such marriages, although his known stance is otherwise. An earlier report in The News Minute, the makers of the film had agreed to remove a scene involving characters eating a plate of beef biryani. The Kerala High Court on November 14 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’.