Massive Blow For 'The Kerala Story 2' Makers After Kerala High Court Order
‘The Kerala Story 2 Goes Beyond’ faces a legal roadblock just a day before its scheduled February 27 release, as filmmakers scramble to appeal the stay order.
The theatrical release of ‘The Kerala Story 2 Goes Beyond’, scheduled for Friday, February 27, has been effectively stalled. On Thursday afternoon, the Kerala High Court granted an interim stay on the controversial film following a petition challenging its censor certificate. While the filmmakers have not yet issued an official response to the stay, sources via India Today indicate that the production team is racing against the clock.
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They are reportedly seeking an early release of the detailed court order so they can immediately approach a larger bench of the Kerala High Court to appeal the decision and salvage their theatrical release plans.
The stay was granted by a single-judge bench of Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas, who directed that the film cannot be released on its scheduled date. During the proceedings, the court heavily criticised the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for granting the film a U/A certificate last week.
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According to Live Law, the High Court order observed: “Prima facie, these guidelines do not appear to have been borne in mind by the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) while granting certification, and there is a manifest disregard of the applicable law that necessitates this Court to interfere.”
Justice Thomas also noted on Wednesday that the filmmakers appeared reluctant to have the court view the film. "You are not keen that the Court should watch the movie. You want the issue to be decided on whether this petition is a private litigation or a public litigation," the judge remarked.
Following the plea, the High Court issued formal notices to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), the CBFC, and the film’s producer.
The court's intervention stems from a petition filed earlier this week by biologist Sreedev Namboodiri. In his plea, Namboodiri argued that the film's teaser "shocked his conscience" and portrayed the state in an extremely negative light.
The petition claims the film, which follows women from Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan who are allegedly trapped by terrorist groups that "weaponize romance", has the potential to stigmatize an entire regional population, disrupt public order, and incite communal disharmony.
Sreedev Namboodiri specifically objected to the film’s title. He argued that while the narrative spans multiple states, branding it ‘The Kerala Story 2’ falsely suggests these alleged incidents originated exclusively in Kerala. Furthermore, he warned that direct-to-camera statements made by characters in the teaser could trigger a law-and-order crisis. Acknowledging these points on Wednesday, the court noted that the petitioner's concerns were “probably genuine”.
The film has been mired in controversy since its trailer dropped earlier this month. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan strongly condemned the project recently, labelling it a “threat to secularism”.
“We must collectively reject attempts to portray Kerala, a land of religious harmony that stands at the forefront of sustainable development and is a model in maintaining law and order, as a center of terrorism,” Vijayan stated. He urged the public to protect the state's secular foundation from "false propaganda."
In defense of the project, producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah has maintained that the film does not target the state itself. “We're not after Kerala. Kerala is God's Country... We want this evil in that state to be eradicated as soon as possible,” Shah previously stated.
In a recent statement to HT, he added, “Our objective has always been awareness, to inform, and to empower young minds to stay alert and make informed choices.”
Directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, ‘The Kerala Story 2’ acts as a sequel to the commercially successful but deeply polarizing original film. Starring Ulka Gupta, Aditi Bhatia, and Aishwarya Ojha, the film claims to be based on true events.
The plot centres on three Hindu women from different parts of India who marry Muslim men against their families' wishes. Framed as a cautionary tale for young women, the narrative follows their isolation from their customs, stripping of their rights, and eventual entrapment in violent, loveless marriages involving forced religious conversion.
At the heart of the current outrage is a specific scene from the trailer where a Hindu woman is forcibly fed beef. Given the religious significance of the cow to Hindus and the strict laws regarding cow slaughter across several Indian states, beef consumption remains a highly volatile political issue. Critics argue that the inclusion of this forced-feeding scene was deliberately designed to provoke an emotional reaction, touching upon sensitive nerves of identity and faith.
