The Kerala High Court was informed on Monday that permission cannot be granted to shoot a film starring Mohanlal inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve, citing judicial and government directives that strictly prohibit commercial filming within national parks, tiger reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries. The submission was made by the reserve's deputy director in response to a petition filed by Malayalam film director Tharun Moorthi, who had sought clearance to shoot scenes for his upcoming movie, 'Athimanoharam'.
The petition was prompted by conflicting positions within the forestry administration. While the deputy director maintained that the requested locations at Pamba and Sannidhanam fall within protected sanctuary territory — regardless of land leases granted to the Travancore Devaswom Board for the Sabarimala pilgrimage — the Divisional Forest Officer indicated that filming could be permitted at specific sites between August 18 and August 28, provided the required fees were paid and an official agreement was executed. Noting the opposing stands of the two forest officials, a division bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice KV Jayakumar formally disposed of the plea.
Adding to the regulatory hurdles, Kerala Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan clarified the government's stance on filming at religious sites, stating that feature films are generally barred from the Sabarimala temple complex. Addressing media reports regarding the proposed Mohanlal project, the minister explained that exceptions are historically reserved only for devotional or mythological productions directly related to Lord Ayyappa. He reaffirmed that allowing standard commercial film shoots within temple premises remains entirely contrary to state policy.
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