The controversial film The Kerala Story 2, directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh and produced by Vipul Shah, was released in theatres on February 28. After a back-and-forth legal battle at the Kerala High Court, the film was allowed a theatrical release on the evening of February 28.
Madras HC restrains unlawful broadcasting of film
On March 3, the Madras High Court restrained internet service providers and cable TV operators from unlawfully broadcasting the film.
According to a report in The Indian Express, Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy passed the interim order in two applications filed by the film’s producer, Sunshine Pictures Limited, which apprehended copyright infringement ahead of the release. The court noted that, as evidence of copyright ownership, the producer-plaintiff submitted the CBFC certificate identifying it as the producer.
The court observed, “In matters of this nature, it is likely that irreversible injury will occur unless unlawful broadcast is prevented at the threshold. At the same time, it is possible that the legitimate business interests of one or more respondents may be affected, in view of the expansive nature of the relief claimed. Therefore, it is necessary that the plaintiff shall indemnify in respect thereof.”
The court granted an ad interim injunction as requested until March 23. “Subject to this condition, orders of ad interim injunction as prayed for are granted in these two applications until 23.03.2026. Issue notice to the respondents returnable on 23.03.2026. Private notice is also permitted. The applicant shall comply with Order XXXIX Rule 3 of CPC,” the order stated.
Vipul Shah on making The Kerala Story 2
Filmmaker Vipul Shah said he felt compelled to make a sequel to The Kerala Story, his controversial 2023 film about religious conversion, as he wanted to expose what he described as a “much larger evil” extending beyond Kerala and across the country. The sequel portrays the stories of three Hindu women from different states who defy their families to marry Muslim men and are subsequently forced to convert.
Shah, who co-wrote and produced the film under the banner Sunshine Pictures, said there was no pre-planned franchise strategy after the first film, which earned over Rs 300 crore at the box office and won two National Awards.
“There was no plan to make even ‘Kerala Story 2’. But after ‘Kerala Story 1’, we started receiving many stories. I realised that there is a much larger issue persisting not just in Kerala but across the country, and we had to tell this story because it is bigger and different from what happened in ‘Kerala Story 1’. That’s why we decided to make part 2.
“It was not a marketing gimmick like, ‘Let’s make part two because it’s a good brand and take it forward.’ Nothing like that,” Shah told PTI in an interview.
