A lawyer has filed a Public Interest Litigation before the Kerala High Court against Dulquer Salmaan’s film Kurup, which hit the big screens on Friday, November 12. The film is inspired from the life of proclaimed offender Sukumara Kurup. Citing that the film violates and infringes upon the privacy of Kurup, the petitioner requested the court to hold the release of the film.
According to Livelaw, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly admitted the plea on November 10 and issued notice to the respondents- the producers, the central and state (Kerala) govt and National Central Bureau (NCB) Interpol .The court is likely to hear the case again after 10 days.
The petitioner argued that the publication based on Kurup’s life was done without seeking prior permission from him. The petitioner also cited that as a citizen of India, Kurup can invoke Article 20 and 21 of the Constitution to protect his rights as an accused. Speaking to TNM, advocate Sebin Thomas, who filed the PIL on November 8, said, “Sukumara Kurup is only the proclaimed offender. The court hasn't found him guilty yet. So he has the right to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution. In my opinion, prior permission from the court is necessary in such cases. After due procedure, if the court finds him not guilty, the damage done through such portrayal cannot be undone."
Sukumara Kurup is an elusive murderer, on the run for 37 years. Watch his story:
Sukumara Kurup faked his own murder to claim insurance. The Srinath Rajendran directorial stars Dulquer as Kurup. In a social media post, Dulquer expressed earlier that “it has been a long, ambitious yet arduous journey with Kurup.” From ideation to filming, the actor noted how the production as well as the post-production of the film was difficult. “We as a team have fought many battles internally and externally to bring it together. To do justice to it,” he wrote, adding that the team would do everything within their limits for the film to become the best version of itself.
Prior to the release of the film, there were concerns about the film glorifying Sukumara Kurup. However, the makers clarified that it is not the case. In an interview with TNM, director Srinath said, “There has been criticism of the film even before it was released. I can understand the concern of the people, who are not even airing these opinions for their own sake, but because they are afraid of how it will hurt some others. I can say that we never wanted to hurt anyone with the film. Of course, if you celebrate Kurup, the man, it is a problem. I have a very clear perspective of how the film should be presented as a filmmaker and I’m sure the audience will have their own perspectives.”
Assuring that the film does not glorify Kurup, Srinath said, “I cast Dulquer because I felt he was the perfect person to do this role. How his image works for the film is not a matter of my concern. It is definitely an experiment, putting him into the robes of a dubious character like Kurup. I can only say there will be no glorification of the character.”