Churuli: Kerala High Court decries ‘overdose of foul language’ in LJP directorial

The Kerala High Court decried the overuse of foul language in the recently released Malayalam sci-fi movie Churuli, and termed it as dreadful. Justice N Nagaresh issued notices to director Lijo Jose Pellissery, actor Joju George and the Censor Board, considering a writ petition filed against the movie. He also orally remarked that the dialogues used in the movie were ‘atrocious in nature’.

Churuli was released last month on the OTT platform SonyLiv. The movie has been receiving wider criticisms since its release, for the excessive use of abusive language and cuss words. 

Earlier, a plea was filed by a lawyer Peggy Fen through Advocates C A Anoop and Krishna R, alleging LJP for the offensive words. The plea had stated that, though the movie is capable of evoking curiosity and mystery, the obscene and filthy language used in it opposes public morality. The movie was also accused of having words and phrases questioning the modesty of women and children, which will leave the viewers disturbed instantly.

The primary concern of the petition is the influence of the film on common people and the possibility of people imitating dialogues. This could be a challenge in bringing up today’s children, especially teenagers. The petition has requested the court to investigate how the movie has passed the censor board regardless of the rules and regulations.

Written by S Hareesh, Churuli revolves around the lives of people living in a hilly area of the same name. The plot is inspired from a short story, Kaligaminarile Kuttavalikal, authored by Vinoy Thomas. The movie has been making headlines and discussions in social media soon after its release, for its profound making, plot twist, references and also for the abusive tone. 

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The film premiered at the International Film Festival of Kerala, during February this year, prior to its release. Interestingly, the Censor Board had made a statement earlier that the version certified by it was different from the copy released on the OTT platform.