Kerala High Court’s Thursday ruling has thrown ‘The Kerala Story 2′ into uncertainty, enforcing a 15-day interim prohibition on its February 27 premiere. Backed by producer Vipul Amritlal Shah, the film confronted legal challenges that swayed the court to act.
Hearings revealed petitioners’ fears that the storyline and visuals could ignite sectarian strife and endanger tranquility. Deeming the arguments compelling, justices halted proceedings to assess merits fully.
Theaters stand prohibited from projections for the duration, jolting a campaign fueled by advance reservations across India. Refunds and reschedules threaten to dent the project’s coffers significantly.
Sparks flew post-teaser on January 30, chronicling three Hindu protagonists—Ulka Gupta, Aishwarya Ojha, Aditi Bhatia—victimized by romantic ploys masking conversion agendas. In poignant hijab scenes, they lament before proclaiming, ‘End of tolerance… fight we shall.’
CM Pinarayi Vijayan led the charge against it, labeling it a secularism saboteur on X. Supporting boycott calls, he evoked the original’s debunked myths: ‘Kerala spurns this recycled communal narrative polluting our ethos.’
He decried permissions for hate-fueled fictions over authentic cultural voices, calling for solidarity against branding the state a extremism hotspot. ‘Truth endures,’ he affirmed.
This impasse tests India’s cinematic boundaries amid polarization debates. Eyes are on future court dates that could redefine the sequel’s fate.