The Kerala High Court received a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) which challenges the title and release of the newly launched movie The Kerala Story 2.

The petition which a retired social science teacher and a practicing lawyer submitted on March 3 demands the film title to remove the term "Kerala" because the petitioner believes it links the state to sensitive and controversial matters.

The petitioners claim through their plea that the film's title and its content matter will display Kerala in an unfavourable way.

They claim that the story shows the State as a main location where people undergo forced conversion to different religions which they believe will harm the State's social and cultural reputation.

The petition also cites an active legal dispute between the filmmakers and their opponents. The production team has filed an appeal to the High Court Division Bench to contest the Single Bench's recent interim ruling which suspended the film's distribution.

The plea states that the stay was issued during a period when the film had not yet been made available for public viewing.

The petitioners have shown that they believe the film's content will create potential social problems which extend beyond their worry about the State's public image.

The defendants prove their case by showing that the available evidence demonstrates the narrative will create negative feelings toward Muslim people who live in Kerala. The plea suggests that such a portrayal could disturb communal harmony and deepen existing sensitivities.

The petitioners want to change the title of the film while they request the court to order a disclaimer which should state that the story contains no real elements.

The court should order the Central Government and Central Board of Film Certification to require the disclaimer which will stop viewers from thinking the story presents actual events.

The High Court will soon consider the matter which will create additional opportunities to examine the ongoing debate about creative freedom and censorship and how filmmakers should approach sensitive socio-political themes.