New Delhi: Another The Kerala Story-style narrative is set to hit the theatres. Not officially part of the franchise, but the parallels, as pointed out by social media users, are hard to miss. Director Rakesh Dhawan’s K2K (Kaur to Khan), a Punjabi film, is circling the contentious theme of alleged religious conversion.
The film has already been dubbed the “Sikh Kerala Files” on social media. Backed by Family Films and Shree Films, K2K is slated for 28 August, according to posters shared online.
The poster shows one side of a woman’s face that is draped in a turban, while the other is covered with a burqa, signalling the film’s central conflict.
Just like the posters for The Kerala Story films, K2K also leans on the familiar and debated claim of being “based on true events.”
Sharing the poster on Instagram, Dhawan, who has also written the movie, wrote: “Two faces of faith. One story of humanity. Beyond headlines, beyond hate haq sach di gal (true story of rights), based on true and tragic events. We respect all and every religion.”
The turbaned half of the poster shows London’s Big Ben in the background, while the other half has a mosque in the rear. The poster left many fans confused, with some wondering if the film captures the reality of Punjabis in India or London.
“I think it will be about the grooming of Sikh girls in the UK. Nice topic if this is so,” X user, Shiva Mudgil, wrote.
Another post on X said, “If you don’t speak, you’ll never be heard!! Good to see that everyone is now openly talking about this issue. The problem is becoming epidemic & everybody needs to stand up to it.”
“Sikhs have always taken such issues to task and managed to control them. Hindus unfortunately, still care more about cricket,” read a tweet.
While many are voicing support for the film, some fear that the movie will not be released in India.
Keshav Grover tweeted, “I bet that movie will not be released in India. Even @SGPCAmritsar will not allow it. It will not accept this is happening.”
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Controversies The Kerala Story faced
Earlier this year, The Kerala Story 2, directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, also found itself in the middle of controversies ever since the trailer was released on 17 February.
In theatres, the film was met with mixed responses, with some calling it “power cinema”, while others labelled it as “propaganda”.
The Kerala Story 2 alleges that young Hindu women are being lured into interfaith marriages, are assaulted and are forced to convert to Islam.
Its prequel, The Kerala Story (2023), faced a similar backlash. The film also faced several legal troubles.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)