The Producers Guild of India has opposed the state-imposed ban on The Kerala Story, citing a violation of the viewer’s right to decide what to watch.
“Film releases are regulated by CBFC and any film that complies with this statutory requirement should face no further hurdles in having the paying public decide on its fate,” read a statement from the premier content producers’ body of the country.
“Of course, the audience can choose to watch or ignore any film but that is a choice that should be theirs to make, not one that is imposed on them by any party other than CBFC,” the statement further read.
The development comes a day after The Kerala Story — a Sudipto Sen directorial that follows three Kerala women who reportedly convert to Islam and eventually join the terror outfit Islamic State of Iraq and Syria — was banned by the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government to “maintain peace in the state”.
The Producers Guild of India also called upon all the relevant authorities to urgently address the “all-too-frequent phenomenon” of films being denied their right to unfettered, nation-wide exhibition despite having duly complied with regulatory requirements.
Meanwhile, some members of the film fraternity have opposed the ban on the film that has been made tax free by the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh and Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led Madhya Pradesh governments.
“Those who speak of banning #The Kerala Story are as wrong as those who wanted to ban Aamir Khan’s #Laal Singh Chaadha. Once a film has been passed by the Central Board of Film Certification nobody has the right to become an extra constitutional authority,” veteran actress Shabana Azmi wrote on Twitter.
Starring Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani and Sonia Balani in the lead roles, The Kerala Story has collected close to Rs 50 crore at the domestic box office since its release on May 5.
