KOCHI: The representatives of the Catholic Congress, who viewed the Malayalam movie ‘Haal’ during a private screening in Kochi, raised objections to several scenes in the film. These included a scene in which the hero’s father forcefully instructs the Christian heroine to wear a pardha, and another in which the male protagonist is shown entering a Christian-managed hostel compound at night, interacting with the heroine, and taking her for a ride on his bike.
The affidavit filed by the Catholic Congress before the Kerala High Court stated that the film contains multiple misrepresentations and defamatory depictions directed against the Christian community, its clergy, and the Thamarassery Diocese. The affidavit further stated that the film makes multiple references to the term “Love Jihad,” depicting it as a fabricated narrative propagated by non-Muslim communities.
Through these dialogues and visual contexts, the film allegedly attempts to invalidate the genuine social concerns raised by Christian and Hindu community organisations regarding coercive interfaith relationships.
In another scene, a Christian priest is portrayed as justifying or encouraging forced religious conversions and as being involved in activities inconsistent with Christian doctrine and clerical ethics. The film also portrays a scene in which a Muslim Imam forcefully instructs the Christian heroine to recite Islamic ritual phrases and declarations of faith.
Additionally, the film visually depicts the Bishop’s House, Thamarassery, and portrays a conversation between the heroine’s father (shown as a priest) and the Bishop. The dialogue suggests that the Bishop encourages or endorses the romantic relationship between a Muslim youth and a Christian girl. This depiction, according to the affidavit, is false, defamatory, and grossly misleading, as the real Bishop of Thamarassery had publicly warned against such coercive interfaith relationships.
In these circumstances, the Revision Committee’s decision to restrict the certification of ‘Haal’ for public exhibition was therefore justified, reasonable, and in accordance with the law, the affidavit stated.
