‘Not defaming Kerala’: The Kerala Story 2 producer after HC clears release

Mumbai: Producer Vipul Shah on Friday asserted that ‘The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond’ does not depict Kerala or its people in a negative manner, hours after the Kerala High Court cleared the way for the film’s release.

A division bench, comprising Justices Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and P V Balakrishnan, stayed a single-judge order that had earlier halted the screening of the film for 15 days. The interim relief came on an appeal filed by Shah late Thursday night, soon after the suspension of the release had been granted.

Speaking at a press conference following the court’s decision, Shah, who has co-written and produced the film under his banner Sunshine Pictures, said the project was made with sincerity and diligence.

"Neither our film, nor me, my crew members are against the state of Kerala, its God's own country. It's a beautiful and wonderful (state), but if something wrong is happening over there then I'm just bringing it out to people's notice. Once you watch the film, you will see that we've not said anything negative about Kerala or the people of Kerala," Shah told reporters.

The producer said the film, which centres on religious conversion, highlights the actions of a limited group of individuals.

"Hence the movie is titled 'The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond'. We are not trying to defame or are showing Kerala and people of Kerala in a negative light," Shah told reporters here, adding that their film is not going to damage the culturally rich state.

Directed by Kamakhya Narain Singh, the Hindi film’s trailer was released earlier this month and triggered controversy similar to that surrounding its 2023 predecessor. Critics across social media and political circles have labelled it divisive and propagandist.

The film follows the journeys of three Hindu women from different states who marry Muslim men against their families’ wishes and are later allegedly compelled to convert.

The movie had been scheduled for release on Friday. Morning shows were cancelled in light of the court’s earlier order, but bookings resumed after the High Court’s interim stay.

"I was not even present in the hearing. I was in public, but what I do understand is that our stand was convincing enough for the honourable judge to revoke the ban. I would love to read the order to understand but it has just arrived. It's a long order for me to read, so I'll take some time to read it. They were convinced that what our side was saying was the legally correct side," Shah said.

Responding to criticism from filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who described “The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond” as propaganda aimed at creating division, Shah refrained from personal remarks but questioned the basis of the criticism.

"I don't want to make any personal comments on Anurag Kashyap. It is his opinion. My director had made a valid point about Anurag, who has made 'The Girl in Yellow Boots', where an inappropriate relationship between a father and his daughter was portrayed.

"So, can his opinions be taken seriously on a topic like this? This is the question my director Kamakya had raised. I was hoping that he would give a reply but he hasn't. We are hoping he will say something in the next few days."

Shah further alleged that a coordinated “lobby” had been opposing the film, much like during the release of the first part.

"They (lobby) fought a lot with us even during part one, this time too they have the same approach. On Twitter, people from all over India speak in favour of the film but the opposition is only from Kerala, more than 80 per cent of the opposition comes from Kerala.

"Their argument is that there are no love-jihad stories in Kerala and what we are showing is a lie, whereas the reality is that there are most talked about stories on the social media over there. So, we're not saying anything that's wrong."

The original film, The Kerala Story, directed by Sudipto Sen, grossed over ₹300 crore at the box office despite bans in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. It later received National Film Awards, including best direction for Sen and best cinematography.

The sequel features Ulka Gupta, Aditi Bhatia and Aishwarya Ojha in lead roles.

PTI