The writ petition which sought to take down Churuli, director Lijo Jose Pellissery’s film, from the SonyLIV OTT platform was dismissed by the Kerala High Court on Thursday.
An uncensored version of Churuli, director Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Malayalam film, premiered on the SonyLIV OTT platform, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) told the Kerala High Court on Wednesday.
The Kerala High Court, on Thursday, remarked that the dialogues used in the Malayalam film Churuli are “atrocious in nature,” as per Live Law.
Churuli, director Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Malayalam film which released on SonyLIV on Friday, stirred up some controversy over its usage of cuss words. And now, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has put out a statement noting that the version of Churuli that premiered on the OTT platform is not the certified copy of the film.
Last week saw a couple of big wins for theatres in Kerala. Dulquer Salmaan-starrer Kurup, one of the biggest Malayalam films to release in cinemas in the state post their reopening, collected Rs 7 crore at the Kerala box office in its first two days. And in a major turn of events, the makers of Mohanlal-starrer Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham decided to first release the film in theatres on December 2.
Not very long after the premiere of Jallikattu, Lijo made his next film, Churuli which is set in a similar milieu ﹣a remote forest village full of men with a talent for violence.The film opens with a woman’s voice-over narrating to a young man (or a boy) the story of a brahmin who, while looking for a mischievous minion named perumaadan, got trapped in an unending spiral inside a forest.
Biju Menon and Joju George shared the Best Actor award at the 52nd Kerala State Film Awards, while veteran actor Revathy won the Best Actress award for her performance in Boothakaalam.
With 2021 being the year India’s local cinema embraced digital platforms and learnt to thrive away from the theatrical landscape, Malayalam cinema grew manifold in terms of reach. It wasn’t just the films of major OTT powerhouses such as Fahadh Faasil or Prithviraj Sukumaran that were widely watched but also smaller films like #Home, headlined by Indrans, and The Great Indian Kitchen. The latter, interestingly, was initially rejected by several mainstream OTT platforms for its low profile. After it premiered on a new platform NeeStream, it quickly took the social media platforms by storm.
While films like Sooryavanshi and Annaatthe that released for Diwali continue to rake in collections at the box office, movies that came out since then have not made as big a mark. However, the Akshay Kumar and Rajinikanth starrers brought the audiences back to cinemas in large numbers and definitely helped reassure producers, many of whose films are set for theatrical releases in December.
The International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) wrapped up on Friday evening with the announcement of awards for the best films and filmmakers. According to a press release, the South African film This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection, by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese, won the Suvarna Chakoram for the best film.
Manju Warrier’s A’hr/Kayattam, Fahadh Faasil’s C U Soon, Pinki Elli, Ritwick Chakraborty’s Mayar Jonjal are among the 40 films to be screened at the 25th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IIFK), 2021.