In what can be regarded as a major setback to the makers of The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond, the Kerala High Court on Thursday granted an interim stay against the release of the film, arguing that the UA certification by the Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) is questionable. The stay comes a couple of days after the court asked the producers to not release the film until the court delivers its verdict.

This court order is also a big blow to the CBFC as the ostensible final authority for the suitability/non suitability of a film to be shown to the public. The court in its order also said that the guidelines for ensuring a film does not disrupt the society’s equilibrium appear not to have been adhered to by the CBFC.

Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas told the CBFC to re-examine the objections raised in the petitions within two weeks. Until the board gives a fresh decision, the film cannot be released. The court said it usually avoids interfering with a movie’s release, but stepped in because the concerns seemed real and needed careful review.

The film was scheduled to be released on February 27. With the film, the only major release this week, being postponed the theatre exhibitors are in a panic.

This writer spoke to Kumar Abhishek, Manager Connplex in Patna at 2.55 pm on Thursday. “Sir, abhi tak humein koi information nahin aaya hai (we have no information about the postponement yet). Bookings are opened everywhere in India and overseas. We don’t know what to replace it (The Kerala Story 2) with,” he said.

Also Read: Kerala High Court halts release of The Kerala Story 2 rights; questions CBFC’s U/A certification