Kerala HC to Hear Challenge to CBFC’s ‘A’ Certificate for Malayalam Film Haal

The Kerala High Court will hear on October 17 a petition filed by the makers of the Malayalam movie Haal challenging the Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) decision to give the film an ‘A’ (Adults Only) certificate and suggest several scene cuts, including one showing beef biriyani and another featuring an actress in burqa attire.

The petition, filed by the producer Juby Thomas and director Veera @ Muhammed Rafeeq, argues that the CBFC’s directions are unjustified and violate the filmmakers’ right to free expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.

A Bench led by Justice VG Arun briefly heard the matter on Tuesday. The counsel for the filmmakers explained that Haal is an interfaith love story focusing on mutual respect between religions. He questioned why the CBFC objected to a dance sequence showing the heroine in Muslim attire when such performances are common in youth festivals and cultural programmes.

“The story revolves around a Muslim boy and a Christian girl who fall in love. Though both families initially oppose their union, the film ultimately conveys a message of peace and religious harmony,” the counsel told the Court.
“Yet, the CBFC has suggested cuts like deleting a Muslim dance and a scene showing beef biriyani being eaten. We have spent lakhs on production, and the release is already delayed,” he added.

Justice Arun noted the financial investment made by the filmmakers and that the movie was initially set for release on Onam. The Central government’s counsel sought more time to file a reply, while the petitioners requested that the Court view the film directly to assess the validity of the CBFC’s objections.

The Court agreed to hear the matter urgently and listed it for detailed hearing on October 17.

According to the petition, the filmmakers had completed Haal in September 2025 and applied for certification on September 8. The film was screened before the CBFC on September 10, but the application was later forwarded to the Revising Committee without written communication or reasons. This, they alleged, led to unnecessary delay in certification.

Subsequently, the CBFC issued a notice suggesting six modifications before granting an ‘A’ certificate. These included:

• Deleting a scene showing the consumption of beef biriyani.
• Removing a song sequence where the heroine appears in Muslim religious dress.
• Blurring the name of Holy Angels College of Nursing.
• Other undisclosed changes.

The filmmakers have challenged these directions and the adult rating as arbitrary, discriminatory, and unconstitutional, claiming that Haal promotes communal harmony and not division.

Earlier, on October 10, the matter came up before Justice N Nagresh, where it was noted that though the petitioners wished to file an appeal under Section 5C of the Cinematograph Act, 1952, there was no clear procedure for such appeals in the Court registry. The Registrar General was asked to submit a report on this procedural issue.

After review, the High Court decided to treat the petition as a writ petition, since no formal appeal process under the Cinematograph Act was in place.

Advocates Saneeje S and John Vithayathil appeared for the petitioners.

The Court will now decide whether the CBFC’s cuts and certification were justified or amounted to unreasonable censorship of artistic expression.