‘Here’s the recipe’: Netizens respond to The Kerala Story 2 trailer with beef fry and curry instructions

The debate around The Kerala Story 2 has taken an unexpected — and distinctly Malayali — turn online. While the trailer of the controversial sequel suggests that Hindu women in Kerala are “forced” to eat beef, many viewers from the state have responded not with outrage, but with humour. And their weapon of choice? Recipes.

On the official Instagram page of The Kerala Story 2, comment sections have been flooded with detailed instructions for cooking beef roast and beef curry. One user even posted a full recipe for Kerala-style beef fry, complete with notes about roasted coconut slices and bold spices. Others chimed in with cheeky remarks like “Eat beef, stay strong,” while another celebrated the iconic pairing of beef ularthiyathu with flaky Malabar porotta, calling it the soul of Kerala’s street food culture. The tongue-in-cheek responses have quickly gone viral, turning the comments into a culinary counterpoint to the film’s controversial claim.

The sequel to the 2023 film The Kerala Story appears to expand its narrative beyond Kerala, shifting from a state-focused story to a wider national canvas. The trailer follows three ambitious Hindu women from different parts of India whose lives change drastically after they fall in love, convert to Islam and are allegedly deceived by their husbands. Their personal tragedies form the emotional backbone of the film, echoing the themes of the original while broadening the geographical scope.

Scheduled for a theatrical release on February 27, the film has already ignited intense online discussions. With humour, satire and criticism now colliding in equal measure, the conversation around representation, realism and cultural portrayal seems set to grow even louder in the days leading up to its release.