The Kerala High Court on Tuesday held that intolerance for cultural and artistic expressions was not something that behoved well for a civilised country like India.
Justice Devan Ramachandran made the observation while considering a petition seeking to prevent the release of the movie Antony, as it contained a scene where the Bible was used to conceal a firearm.
The petitioner, who stated that he believed in the Christian faith, felt that the scene denigrated the faith itself. He wanted the scene to be removed from the movie and the court to issue directions to the the Regional Officer of the Central Board of Film Certification for necessary action.
The counsel for the Central government informed the court that the scene in question was blurred and no one could identify the book used to conceal the firearm to be the Bible.
The counsel for the film producer contended that it was unfair for an individual to take umbrage at a fleeting scene in a movie where there was no direct reference to it being a religious scripture. The counsel also informed the court that the scene was blurred.
The court closed the petition with the observation that the production and creation of a cinematographic movie were, in part, guided by imagination, and for the other, perhaps, real-life experiences. The liberty of a team, while creating a cinematographic movie, has to be respected, as long as they do not trample upon or infringe on the rights of individuals or society, the court held.
