KOCHI: The Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council (KCBC) Jagratha Commission has come out against the awarding the state's best film award for 'Kaathal - The Core', which tells the story of a closeted gay man in a hetrosexual marriage.
Stating that the award would make the subject portrayed in the film acceptable among the masses, the KCBC body said that the state government and the Left-wing student organisations are promoting something that is "unnatural".
The commission in its Facebook post quoted the statement made by Cultural Minister Saji Cherian while announcing the award -- "A powerful expression of the theme of acceptance and inclusion of diversity, transcending traditional human relations and presenting changing social realities with subtlety and urgency" -- and said the statement gives an indication that "homosexuality is a natural phenomenon".
"The society should accept the rights of gays. Another feature of this film is the excessive importance given to sex. The story goes on to associate the "progressive" idea of gay sexuality with left-wing political ideology. While everyone else views homosexuality as unnatural, the Left-wing political leadership is embracing the hero. The success and "glory" of that position is the basic idea in this film. 'Kaathal - the Core' was a film that faced criticism upon its release for such reasons," says the KCBC body.
The post says, "Although the filmmakers and some well-known cultural intellectuals in the early stages defended the criticisms and argued that the allegations were baseless, director Jeo Baby had already stated in some interviews that his aim with the film was to support the LGBTQIA+ community and gain them the support of the general society."
The director had openly said that he decided to cast Mammootty and others in this film to bring as many people as possible to the theatres and thus create an impact on society with the ideas projected by the film, says the FB post.
"Therefore, it is clear that the film is a propaganda film. It is in this context that the Left government has given the highest approval to that film. It may not be a coincidence that the film has won awards and has advanced the idea that Kerala's left-wing politics advocates for gay rights in an era of rampant and unnatural sexist propaganda in colleges led by left-wing student movements," said the KCBC body.
A special award for the best popular and artistic film was given to "Aadujeevitham" directed by Blessy and starring Prithviraj in the lead role, while the best film award went to "Kaathal - the Core".
"While many films can be considered the best film if we consider the moral value as well, it is necessary to clarify what message the state government is sending to society by awarding the best film award to a film that advocates for gay rights," the post stated.
In another post explaining the position of the church when it comes to gay rights, the KCBC body said, "Some self-proclaimed progressive movements, journalists, and a few individuals who are active in social media are spreading a widespread misconception in society that the Catholic Church has approved same-sex relationships. Pope Francis has approved them. The KCBC Vigilance Commission had exposed the dangers of the theme of the film 'Kaathal - the Core', which presented and promoted same-sex relationships as perfectly natural relationships, in the light of the moral and theological teachings of the Catholic Church, when the film was released and now won the State Award for Best Film."
"The Church does not isolate individuals based on their sexual orientation but has embraced a compassionate approach to individuals with different sexual orientations. The Church has even permitted priests to give a non-sacramental blessing if they wish, in a way that does not offend others. Some misunderstand that because the church takes this approach, the church approves of homosexual encounters, and there has been widespread propaganda that way," said the KCBC body.
