Syro-Malabar Church's Idukki Diocese screened 'The Kerala Story' to students of classes 10 to 12 who attended the vacation course diocese parishes. The movie got an ‘A’ certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for the nature of its content when it was released after 10 cuts in May 2023.
The screenings were held in the first week of April. The screening was a part of the course curriculum, which encouraged students to watch the film, discuss it with peers, and prepare a review. The course also had a portion under the heading 'Love Jihad'.
Also Read | "The Kerala Story" Set for OTT Premiere on ZEE5.
Fr Jins Karakkat, chairman of the Idukki Diocese Media Commission, told TNM that no religion has been specifically attributed to love jihad and that the film was screened as part of a training programme for Sunday school students, held every year. “We select a theme for the programme each year. We selected this year’s theme as love because a lot of teenagers are falling in the trap of love. The screening of the film was held as part of this. We had prepared the syllabus months before the controversy of Doordarshan telecasting the film broke out."
While the applicability of the 1952 Act is a grey area as far as OTT platforms are concerned, an amendment in the Information and Technology Act, 2000 states that OTT platforms and applications should provide parental locks for Adult content. This ensures that children do not access such content under the restricted category.
"There is no specific prohibition in the Cinematograph Act or the IT Rules on what category of content parents can show children in the privacy of their home. Streaming platforms are only required to make sure that parental controls are available. However, the moment you connect the laptop to a projector to a public audience, that becomes a public exhibition," said Aroon Deep, a journalist with The Hindu, who has covered issues related to film censorship.