Churuli cleared by Kerala Police, says language suits characters and plot

Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Churuli got its release through Sony Liv on November 19, 2021 after winning accolades at film festivals. Following its release on the OTT platform, the film and the filmmaker came across criticism for the choice of language used in the movie. 

A three-member panel headed by ADGP K Padmakumar was asked to review the movie following a public interest litigation filed at the Kerala High Court claiming the film used vulgar language and was breaking rules. 

The latest news is that the panel has cleared the sci-fi horror of the accusation, with the board stating that OTT is not a public place and thus the use of foul language in such platforms do not amount to punishment under the Indian Penal Code. 

They also added that the filmmaker was within his freedom of expression to write the movie with such graphic language as it portrayed the characters in regards to the plot of the film. 

The panel also said that the makers of the movie had warned its viewer about the graphic language and that the film had an A certificate. 

Churuli, directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery is a sci-fi mystery horror that follows two undercover police officers who reach a secluded village in search of a wanted man. In the mysterious forest, they are caught in a time loop, which keeps repeating with small changes to the characters involved. 

Written by S. Hareesh, the film stars Vinay Forrt, Chemban Vinod Jose, Jaffar Idukki, Joju George, Surjith, Sajin Gopu and Soubin Shahir among others. The film, which can be considered as another one of the filmmaker's fine works, is available to stream on Sony Liv. 

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