Mumbai, Feb 26 (IANS) Actress-director Nandita Das has condemned the “stifling” censorship on the upcoming film ‘The Kerala Story 2 – Goes Beyond’.

The actress attended the Sashakt Nari, Viksit Bharat by Chintan Research Foundation event. During the event, she spoke with IANS, and shared her thoughts on the stay order passed by the Kerala High Court over the film’s release.

She told IANS, “I feel that censorship is stifling for any form of art. It’s really important that art finds freedom. Some good work will come out, some bad work will come out, all kinds of things will come out but that’s how an individual or society becomes more discerning. That’s how we filter the good from the bad. Time is the greatest judge of any work of art ,something that stands the test of time will always be something that has depth”.

“In this process, there will be a lot of fluff, we will have to learn to ignore it but I am definitely not for censorship for any form of art”, she added.

Earlier in the day, the makers of the upcoming film ‘The Kerala Story 2 – Goes Beyond’ approached the Apex court, after the Kerala High Court granted an interim stay on the release of the film on Thursday.

The Kerala High Court noted that prima facie there is non-application of mind by the Censor Board while certifying the movie. Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas passed the stay order while hearing two petitions challenging the film’s release.

The court noted that the guidelines intended to prevent disruption of social harmony appeared not to have been followed by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

‘The Kerala Story 2 – Goes Beyond’ was slated for release on Friday. In an affidavit filed on Wednesday, producer Vipul Shah stated that only the censor board has the authority to halt a film’s release. The film is a sequel to the National Award-winning ‘The Kerala Story’, which was released in 2023.

–IANS

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