THE CONTROVERSIAL MOVIE WAS EARLIER DROPPED Kerala HC orders screening of ‘S Durga’ at IFFI Goa

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court Tuesday ordered the screening of Malayalam film “S Durga” at the ongoing IFFI in Goa, days after the Information and Broadcasting Ministry dropped the movie from the festival.

Allowing a petition by the film’s director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, Justice B Vinod Chandran directed the ministry to screen it at the 48th edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

The film’s certified copy can be exhibited in the festival, which commenced yesterday, the court said in its order.

Sasidharan had moved the court after the film was dropped from the Panorama section of the festival, contending that the decision was unconstitutional.

Overruling the recommendation of the 13-member jury, the I&B ministry pulled out “S Durga” and Marathi movie “Nude” from the festival, which will continue till November 28.

The petitioner submitted that the ministry “arbitrarily vetoed” the decision of the jury “without any authority of law” and excluded the film from the Indian Panorama section, without notice to him and also without assigning any reason.

He further stated that some fringe elements protested against the film, based on their misunderstanding that the original title “Sexy Durga” referred to Goddess Durga whereas the work has nothing against the goddess or any other religious figures.

The film, a road movie that follows the horrifying experience of two hitchhikers, a man and a woman, at the hands of two men in the dead of the night, won the Hivos Tiger Award in the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2017.

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday allowed Malayalam film actor Dileep, who is out on bail in the South Indian actress assault case, to travel to Dubai for business purposes for four days.

Considering his plea, Justice Sunil Thomas directed the release of his passport for six days.

The prosecution strongly opposed the actor’s plea alleging that he tried to influence witnesses in the case.

The judge in his order permitted him to travel abroad.

Dileep had surrendered his passport as part of obtaining bail in the case.

In his petition, the actor requested the court to return his passport to enable him to travel to Dubai to inaugurate his new restaurant set up there.

Dileep was granted bail by the high court on October 3 with stringent conditions, 85 days after his arrest.

The court had directed Dileep, arrested on July 10, to surrender his passport, deposit a bail bond of Rs one lakh and two solvent sureties for the like amount.

Besides, he was ordered to appear before investigating officers as and when required.

The police have charged Dileep with hatching a conspiracy to abduct and assault the actress in a moving car and film the act.

Six persons, including key accused Pulsar Suni, have already been arrested in the case.

The actress, who has worked in Tamil and Telugu films, was abducted and allegedly molested inside her car for two hours by the accused, who had forced their way into the vehicle on February 17 night and later escaped in a busy area here.