Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday granted time to the Central Government’s counsel to seek instructions in a plea filed by the producer and director of Haal, a Malayalam film starring Shane Nigam. The makers of the film approached the court challenging the Central Board of Film Certification’s order proposing deletion of certain scenes.

According to the petition, the film was viewed by the CBFC on September 10, 2025, but no communication regarding certification was received thereafter. When the petitioners checked the online portal, they found that the film had been forwarded to the Revising Committee — allegedly without any written explanation.

The petitioners first approached the High Court seeking speedy disposal of their certification application. However, while the matter was pending, the Censor Board passed an order recommending changes. Challenging this decision, the petitioners termed it illegal, arbitrary, against the law and made without proper reasoning.

Among the six changes suggested by the Board were the deletion of a “scene of eating beef biriyani,” and a “sequence in a song where the heroine uses Muslim religious attire to hide her identity.” It also recommended “blurring the name of the institution Holy Angels College of Nursing,” among other modifications.

The petitioners urged the court to quash the Board’s order and direct it to reconsider their certification request at the earliest. They also sought the appointment of an Advocate Commissioner to view the film and report on its content.

The plea stated that the film was initially scheduled for release on September 12, assuming the censorship process would conclude by September 10. The release was later postponed to September 19, but certification was still pending by then.

The petitioners further hinted that the delay could have been influenced by the release of another film starring Shane Nigam. “On 26th of September there was another upcoming release of a new movie of the very same Hero Actor. It is doubtful that it is under their influence the censorship was postponed,” the plea stated.

The petition also contended that Haal contains no depictions of violence or cruelty, yet the Board, following the Revising Committee’s recommendation, classified the film as ‘A’ (restricted) with modifications.

Interestingly, the petitioners proposed a two-stage censorship process — one at the script stage and another after the completion of the film. 

“The scripts made has to be censored at first. If approval is granted, the movies must be made in strict compliance to such ‘Censored Scripts’. The final works must be compared with the ‘Censored Scripts’. If the final work is in conformity with the approved script, the censor certificates has to be issued. This reduces heavy tensions and difficulties to the filmmakers,” the plea suggested.

Accordingly, the petitioners also requested the framing of fresh guidelines incorporating script-level censorship.

When the matter came up for hearing, Justice N. Nagaresh directed the Central Government counsel to obtain instructions and posted the case for further consideration on October 14 (Tuesday).

(With Live Law inputs)