CHENNAI: Popular playback singer Srinivas on Wednesday (February 25) criticised the makers of Kerala Story 2 – Goes Beyond, accusing them of "misinformation and manipulative storytelling.
He was reacting to a viral video from a recent press interaction where the film's director Kamakhya Narayan Singh and producer Vipul Shah are grilled about the film’s portrayal of Kerala. Journalists questioned why none of the 30 women presented at the event as survivors of alleged forced conversion were from Kerala.
In his post on social media platform X, Srinivas recalled that last year, a Delhi cab driver had asked him if Chennai was “full of Christians." This, he added, reflected the "kind of divisive mindset that prevails in the north thanks to such filmmakers and the media channels." The singer said Kerala and Tamil Nadu remain among the most secular states in the country, adding that he hoped “the poison doesn’t reach us.”
Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court today directed the makers to halt the release of the film’s rights until it decides on the petitions. The Kerala Story 2 – Goes Beyond was scheduled for release on February 27.
Yesterday, the court observed that the film presents Kerala, a state known for communal harmony, in a wrong light, and noted that using the state’s name while claiming the film is based on facts could lead to communal tensions. The court made the observations while hearing pleas challenging the censor certificate granted to the film.
Petitioners have argued that the teaser and trailer depict incidents involving women from multiple states but brand them as “The Kerala Story”, thereby associating terrorism, forced conversion and demographic conspiracy exclusively with Kerala. Such portrayals, they said, could stigmatise an entire regional population and disturb public order.
Why has The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond drawn criticism?
The first film, The Kerala Story (2023), directed by Sudipto Sen, and starring Adah Sharma, Siddhi Idnani, Yogita Bihani and Sonia Balani, claimed to depict the alleged radicalisation and trafficking of women from Kerala into extremist networks. This narrative was strongly disputed by the Left Democratic Front government, opposition parties and several civil society groups in the state.
The sequel, The Kerala Story 2 – Goes Beyond, has sparked fresh debate and political reactions even before its release, particularly over a trailer scene in which a detained woman refuses to eat beef, saying she would rather starve, but is still force-fed. The scene sparked online pushback, with women sharing photos of themselves eating beef and posting memes.
What is The Kerala Story 2 about?
The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond is an upcoming Hindi film directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah under the banner of Sunshine Pictures. It is a sequel to the 2023 film The Kerala Story. The film stars Ulka Gupta, Aditi Bhatia and Aishwarya Ojha in leading roles, and is scheduled for release on February 27.
The official synopsis for the film reads thus: Across three Indian states, three young women defy family and tradition for love, only to slip into unseen cages of control and silence. What begins as romance and rebellion mutates into manipulation and loss of freedom, until the women strike back, turning captivity into a battlefield for survival.