"Should we be so intolerant?" Kerala HC asks while hearing plea against one scene in "Antony" movie

Kerala: The Kerala High Court today heard a plea that raised objections to a scene from a new malayalam movie 'Antony' that depicted a gun kept hidden inside a Bible.

Single-judge Justice Devan Ramachandran, reportedly, orally asked if it was really necessary for such intolerance in the name of religion.

"Should we be so intolerant that even for a passing reference to a book, you should take up objection? Even if it is a Bible, doesn't there need to be a negative reference or connotation for you to object," Justice Ramachandran remarked.

Since the book in the scene was blurred, the court asked how the petitioner could be certain that it was the Bible. After noting that the movie was approved by the Censor Board, the judge agreed to watch the movie scene in question and adjourned the matter. It will be taken up next after two weeks.

The film is about the happenings in Antony's life, his brush with other gangsters, and what happens when Kalyani Priyadarshan's character, Ann Maria, comes into his life and how he is forced to become her guardian after her mother's death.

Observations of the Kerala HC

As the hearing of the plea moved by one Joji Varghese progressed, the judge highlighted that if a Bible is used to hide a gun, Christians are unhappy. The same would be the case for Hindus and Muslims, if the Bhagavad-Gita or Quran is used, respectively.

The Court also remarked that such scenes were a staple for several English thriller movies since the 60s and 70s. "It is just that Malayalis are doing it now," he said.

Such petitions only benefit the movie makers who could use the publicity, negative or otherwise, to increase the reach of their movie, the judge added.

Advocates Gigimon Issac, Tom Thomas, and Tobias Togi Mathew have moved the plea for the petitioner.