The Kerala High Court on Wednesday ordered the producers of The Kerala Story 2 – Goes Beyond to halt the release the film until the petitions challenging the release are finally heard and cleared. The film was initially planned to release on February 27, 2026. However, now the release date remains uncertain.
High Court stalls the release of The Kerala Story 2
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas, who was hearing the suit, ordered the release to be stalled while considering three petitions which sought the cancellation of the certificate granted by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on the ground that the movie misrepresents the state of Kerala and might provoke communal disharmony in the region.
As the Court`s sitting hours ended for the day, Senior Advocate S Sreekumar informed the Court that the movie is slated for release this Friday, February 27 and that the overseas rights have already been sold for distribution. The judge stated that he will hear all parties before passing the order. He added that the film`s release may be put on hold till the hearing is complete.
“Then you can stall it right now. If you are putting the Court into a corner then I will state until we complete the hearing…I will give you enough and more time, you can argue but don`t release it till the arguments are over…I will take up the matter tomorrow but I don`t want them (petitioners) to come back tomorrow and say that you have already given the rights….without concluding the arguments; I can’t. Don’t make the entire issue infructuous…let them not give out the right or anything before the Court takes decision. The apprehension expressed by the petitioners is probably genuine, so once they release the rights tomorrow, then what is the point?” Justice Thomas remarked.
The Kerala Story 2 controversy
The Kerala Story 2 – Goes Beyond is a sequel to the controversial Hindi film, The Kerala Story (2019), which showed the alleged recruitment of women from Kerala into the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
The ongoing petitions came amid continuing controversy surrounding the sequel. All three petitions filed before the Court have challenged the certification granted to The Kerala Story 2 on the ground that it shows Kerala in a communal light and that it could disturb the law and order situation. The petitioners have argued that the film`s title and promotional materials unfairly stigmatise the State.
One of the petitions was filed by Kannur native Sreedev Namboodiri, who alleged that the movie`s promotional content contained themes and dialogues that could possibly incite violence. Similarly, another petition filed by Freddie V Francis seeks a ban on the film`s release and challenges the use of the name Kerala in the title. The third petition, by Advocate Atul Roy, also challenged the certification granted by CBFC and sought to rename the film to remove Kerala from the title.
