The release of The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond trailer created exactly what its prequel did—controversy. The first part, The Kerala Story—released in 2023—faced similar legal challenges and attempted stays.
It all started with the release of the film’s trailer on 17 February and the subsequent Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s strongly worded statement, condemning the alleged depiction of the state in it. Director Anurag Kashyap and actor Prakash Raj also criticised the film’s trailer for spreading “hate and propaganda”. The latest wrinkle in the film’s release is a legal one.
Originally set to hit theatres on 27 February, the film’s release was stayed for 15 days by a single-judge bench of the Kerala High Court on Thursday. Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas asked the censor board to re-examine the issue, adding that ‘it didn’t abide by the rules’. However, a division bench of the court on Friday overturned the interim-stay order, clearing the way for the film for its scheduled release.
“Dissemination of content which has a tendency to create discord, disturb law and order, and even undermine social harmony cannot come within the gamut of freedom of speech and expression enshrined in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India,” the court added.
In recent years, India has seen a rise in the number of films that allegedly propagate a certain narrative, those that have been accused of distorting facts. The Kerala Story figures among the most controversial ones. And that is why it is ThePrint’s Newsmaker of the Week.
The Kerala Story, directed by Sudipto Sen, was banned by the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal and theatre owners in Tamil Nadu decided not to screen it. However, it went on to be a box office success, grossing more than Rs 302 crore worldwide. The film also won two National Film Awards—for director Sudipto Sen and cinematographer Prasantanu Mohapatra.
‘Nothing to do with Kerala polls’
The makers of the sequel, along with 33 women, all victims of reported forced-conversions, flew down to the capital on 23 February to share their first-hand experiences at Delhi’s India Habitat Centre.
“I often hear people say that ‘Love Jihad’ and forced conversions are not happening in India. So we have brought together victims from all over the country,” said Shah at the event, introducing the women and asking them to take the stage. However, there were no victims from Kerala.
“We already presented the survivors from Kerala when we released the previous film. If we had bought them again, you would have said we are recycling the same people,” answered Shah when a journalist enquired about the absence of anyone from Kerala, despite the film being named after the state.
Shah also denied that the release of The Kerala Story 2 was planned with the upcoming elections in Kerala. “Bengal will hold elections before Kerala. Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra already had their elections. If this were about politics, we would have timed it even before elections in other states,” said the producer and director.
Also read: ‘Girls should be taught Sanatan Dharam’ — forced conversion victim at Kerala Story 2 event
The beef row
The trailer of The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond opens with a warning: India will become an Islamic state in the next 25 years. Directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh, it shows three women—from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Kerala—being lured by Muslim men to marry and then forced to convert.
The trailer shows a young Hindu woman, married to a Muslim from Kerala, being force-fed beef by her ‘evil’ Muslim in-laws. It had multiple clapbacks from the southern state.
“The release of a second part of The Kerala Story, which was made with the agenda of spreading hatred against Kerala and insulting our secular traditions, should be seen seriously. They (the filmmakers) are spreading false propaganda by portraying even marriages conducted with mutual consent as examples of communalism and forced religious conversion,” read Vijayan’s statement.
Vijayan also questioned how ‘poisonous works’ that spread division and hatred in society were allowed to be screened, while the film Beef was barred from the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK).
Nineteen films were initially denied screening at IFFK in December, including Palestinian films Palestine 36, All That’s Left of You, and Wajib, as well as Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 classic Battleship Potemkin.
“They did not give permission for the movie BEEF. Why? Because for them, beef has only one meaning. But the film was not related to the beef we eat. It is based on Spanish hip-hop culture, where ‘beef’ refers to conflict or rebellion,” Vijayan had said in response to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)’S decision in 2025.
Adding to the debate on the trailer, the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation shared a post on its social media platform on 19 February with the words, ‘No beef with anyone. That’s our recipe for happiness’. The image shows a local man and a foreign traveller, smiling at each other and holding a glass of coffee, against a picturesque background. The post is captioned, ‘Love, harmony and hearts big enough for everyone. Welcome to God’s Own Country’.
Malayalis reacted to the scene by sharing images of beef fry paired with Kerala protta—a popular combination in Kerala, or recommending popular food joints in the state that serve the combo.
Also read: Why High Court overruled single judge’s order staying release of ‘Kerala Story 2′ movie
Court screening before cinemas
In recent years, the Indian courts have had to step in and watch films over matters of certification, release and censorship of films.
In 2025, the CBFC asked the makers of the Malayalam film Haal to make 15 cuts, including scenes of beef consumption. When makers challenged it in court, the Kerala High Court directed them to delete only two of the 15 cuts demanded by the CBFC, specifically targeting a scene involving beef biryani and a courtroom sequence.
The film, starring Shane Nigam, shows an interfaith relationship between a Muslim man and a Christian woman. In August last year, the Bombay High Court watched Ajey: The Untold Story of A Yogi, which was denied certification by CBFC.
The court noted that there is nothing in the film that depicts Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a defamatory manner, as argued by the petitioner, and the movie was directed to be released in theatres.
In 2024, the Bombay High Court watched the movie Hamare Baarah after several pleas sought a ban on the movie on the grounds that it was derogatory toward the Muslim community. After reviewing the film, the court gave a green signal to its release, observing that the movie is a “thinking movie” and not the sort where the audience is expected to “keep their brains at home”.
The court initially deferred the film’s release, but later allowed the release after the makers of the film said they had removed the objectionable portion. The same year, the Gujarat High Court watched Junaid Khan’s debut film, Maharaj, released on Netflix, over allegations that the film targeted the Pushtimarg sect. The Gujarat High Court lifted the interim stay on the release of the film, observing that there is nothing derogatory in the movie.
The sale of tickets of The Kerala Story 2 continued, leading to confusion over the high court’s order being actually put into practice, and another possible lawsuit.
“We are filmmakers. Do not drag us into politics,” said director Kamakhya Narayan Singh, in response to a question at the Delhi event. But matters have only escalated, beyond political to now legal.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)