The Kerala High Court on Thursday granted an interim stay against the release of the film The Kerala Story 2-Goes Beyond, saying that prima facie there is non-application of mind by the censor board while certifying the movie. The film features a new lead cast, including Ulka Gupta, Aditi Bhatia, and Aishwarya Ojha.
The Kerala Story 2 film release stalled
On Thursday, Kerala HC`s Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas passed the order on two pleas challenging the release of the film directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh.
The film was scheduled to be released on February 27. The court in its order also said that the guidelines for ensuring a film does not disrupt social harmony appear not to have been adhered to by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The film`s release has been stayed for 15 days.
The Kerala Story 2 controversy
The Kerala Story 2 – Goes Beyond is a sequel to the controversial Hindi film, The Kerala Story (2019), which showed the alleged recruitment of women from Kerala into the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The ongoing petitions came amid continuing controversy surrounding the sequel. All three petitions filed before the Court have challenged the certification granted to The Kerala Story 2 on the ground that it shows Kerala in a communal light and that it could disturb the law and order situation. The petitioners have argued that the film`s title and promotional materials unfairly stigmatise the State.
One of the petitions was filed by Kannur native Sreedev Namboodiri, who alleged that the movie`s promotional content contained themes and dialogues that could possibly incite violence. Similarly, another petition filed by Freddie V Francis seeks a ban on the film`s release and challenges the use of the name Kerala in the title. The third petition, by Advocate Atul Roy, also challenged the certification granted by CBFC and sought to rename the film to remove Kerala from the title.
The Kerala Story (2023) was also criticised by the Kerala government. The film was accused of misrepresenting facts and maligning the reputation of the Southern state. Back then, when questioned about the figures of conversions, the makers lost the battle in court and had to bring down the number of reported cases from 32,000 as mentioned in the trailer of the film. They then changed it to `thousands of women`.
