The Kerala Story suffers big setback in UK: Screenings get cancelled; tickets refunded

The release of the Indian film The Kerala Story in the UK has been thrown into disarray after it failed to receive classification from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) in time for its scheduled debut on May 12. The movie was set to be screened in Hindi and Tamil across 31 cinemas in the UK and Ireland, but all screenings were cancelled on Friday and tickets were refunded after cinema websites stopped allowing sales.

The move has upset a section of the Indian diaspora in the UK, with many expressing their displeasure on social media. The UK distributor of the movie, 24 SEVEN FLIX4U, was forced to contact all the cinemas and request they cancel the screenings after it was discovered that releasing a movie in the UK without classification is illegal. As per reports, the shows got cancelled despite having nearly-full houses.

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Many viewers, who had purchased three tickets for the movie at Cineworld, were left disappointed after receiving an email on Friday saying that the reason for the cancellation of their booking for The Kerala Story was due to the absence of age certification by the BBFC. As a result, authorities refunded the full amount of the booking and apologised for “any inconvenience caused”.

The BBFC confirmed that the movie was still undergoing the classification process, and it will be available for screening once it has received an age rating and content advice. Despite the setback, the movie has already been approved for release in the USA, India, Australia, Canada, and Ireland.

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In the UK, movie classification is mandatory, and films must receive a rating from the BBFC before release. A movie's rating may restrict the audience that can watch it, and sometimes it is difficult for movie makers to obtain the rating they desire.

Meanwhile, Adah Sharma, the lead actor of the movie, is receiving great appreciation from the audience. In an exclusive interview with ANI, Sharma shared how she was overwhelmed by the audience's response.

She revealed that she had always thought every film she did would be her last, as she did not know if she would get another chance or if someone would have faith in her again. However, the audience's dreams for her were always bigger, and they always wanted her to play specific roles. She believes that all those dreams are now coming true, and she feels lucky.

(With ANI inputs)