Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Saturday viewed the film ‘Haal’, for which the Censor Board had demanded more than 15 cuts to issue a censor certificate. Justice VG Arun watched the movie at the Color Planet Studio in Kakkanad on Saturday evening after 7 pm, accompanied by the lawyers representing both sides in the case.

The petition challenging the directions of the Censor Board and the Revising Committee was filed by producer Juby Thomas and director Muhammed Rafiq. The High Court will reconsider the plea on October 30. Ahead of that, the court decided to personally watch the film.

The film, starring Shane Nigam, revolves around a love story between a Muslim man and a Christian woman. The Censor Board reportedly asked for the removal of scenes showing the characters eating beef biryani, modifications in portions related to Christian religious sentiments, and blurring of parts showing a rakhi being worn. Even after making all these cuts, the film would still receive an ‘A’ certificate, according to the board’s communication cited in the petition.

Following this, the petitioners requested the court itself to view and evaluate the film, a request the court accepted. They also informed that the delay in the film’s release was causing heavy financial loss.

The High Court had recently directly watched another film, ‘Janaki vs State of Kerala’, which was denied a censor certificate. Justice N Nagaresh had viewed that film, later granting permission for release after approving certain modifications suggested by the Censor Board.