Thiruvananthapuram

Former Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan on Saturday said he intends to watch The Kerala Story 2 – Goes Beyond, adding that he had seen the first instalment and found nothing objectionable in it.

Rajasekharan, who also served as former BJP state president, said there was nothing wrong with the sequel and questioned how it could affect secularism in Kerala.

“I will surely see it. I saw the first film, and there was nothing wrong with it. There is nothing wrong with this film either. How will it affect secularism?” he told reporters.

When informed that ticket sales for the movie were reportedly low, the senior BJP leader said watching a film is a personal choice.

He said the movie portrays the plight of women facing issues depicted in the film and pointed out that books addressing similar themes have not faced objections. Rajasekharan also claimed that minority communities, including Christians, have concerns about extremist activities.

BJP state chief reacts

Later in the day, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that while he was not personally interested in watching The Kerala Story 2 – Goes Beyond, everyone has the right to make a film. If there is anything illegal in it, courts will intervene, he said.

He added that whether to watch a movie is an individual decision and that differing opinions should not curtail freedom of expression.

“If I make a movie that you do not like, don’t watch it,” he told reporters in Kozhikode.

High Court clears release

A division bench of the Kerala High Court on Friday paved the way for the film’s release by staying a single judge’s order that had put its screening on hold for 15 days.

The bench observed that the single judge’s finding — that guidelines for certification had not been followed by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) — was based on “a few clippings and without viewing the movie” and therefore “cannot be countenanced.”

Earlier, the single judge had said there appeared to be a manifest non-application of mind by the censor board. The judge also noted that there was a prima facie possibility of communal disharmony or denigration of a community and that releasing the film without scrutiny by higher authorities would be legally improper.

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The court had further observed that the teaser carried a prima facie potential to distort public perception and disturb communal harmony.