The Supreme Court of India has quashed an FIR filed against actress Priya Prakash Varrier and the makers of Malayali movie ‘Oru Adar Love’. ‘Somebody in a film sings a song and you have no other job but to file a case’, the SC bench also rebuked the people behind the FIR.
A bench comprising of CJI Deepak Mishra, Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice AM Khanwaliker also stated that a wink in a popular song cannot be called an act of blasphemy. The bench also observed that the song ‘Manikya Malaraya Poovi’ on which the viral video of the film was made, has been a popular Malayali song since 1978 and the 30-second video clip of the film Oru Adar Love cannot be termed as blasphemous.
The 30-second video clip in which many young actors were seen had gone viral on social media. The scene where the actress Priya Varrier winks and smiles at the male lead had become immensely popular over social media platforms and made Priya Varrier a household name all across the country.
Soon after the song video went viral, some Muslims in Telangana had filed an FIR in Hyderabad alleging that the song, which mentions the love affair between prophet Mohammad and his first wife Khadija has been represented in a blasphemous way in the video as winking is against Islam.
According to reports, the SC bench has stated, “We allow the writ petition of Varrier and the others and quash the FIR lodged against them in Telangana and further direct that no FIR or any complaint under section 200 of the CrPC will be entertained against the petitioners over the picturisation of the song in question.”
The film Oru Adar Love is yet to be released. The SC order is expected to bring relief to the director and the producer of the movie too who were also named in the FIR.
