Kerala High Court stays release of ‘The Kerala Story 2’

The Kerala High Court on Thursday stayed the release of ‘Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond’, following pleas that challenged its certification. The film had been slated to hit theatres tomorrow.

Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas also directed the Central Board of Film Certification to re-examine the issue. The order came in interim applications filed by the petitioners, who have questioned the clearance granted to the film.

In his order, Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas noted that even the material shown in the teaser, which forms part of the film, appeared to have the potential to mislead public perception and disrupt communal harmony at first glance.

The judge also remarked that the Central Board of Film Certification seemed, prima facie, to have overlooked the established certification guidelines, and directed the body to reconsider the matter. He added that content likely to provoke discord, affect law and order, or weaken social harmony would not fall within the scope of the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.

Earlier, the court had indicated that it was willing to watch the film before taking a final decision. However, the producer declined the offer, with counsel submitting that the matter could instead be argued on legal merits.

During the proceedings, the High Court orally observed that while Kerala largely lives in harmony, the film appeared to suggest that such incidents were widespread across the state, which could create a misleading impression and potentially inflame passions. The bench subsequently heard detailed submissions from the petitioners’ counsel, the senior counsel representing the producer, and the counsel for the Central Board of Film Certification, before reserving its verdict.

The petitioners contended that the film was granted certification without fully complying with the statutory requirements under the Cinematograph Act. They argued that the title, along with themes such as forced conversions and terrorism depicted in the narrative, could stigmatise Kerala as a whole and risk provoking communal tensions.

One of the petitioners further submitted that after the release of the prequel, ‘The Kerala Story’, which itself faced multiple legal challenges, there were reported instances of unrest and hostility towards Kerala and Malayalis both within India and abroad. The petitioners also pointed out that the filmmakers, during promotions, had claimed the story was not specifically about Kerala but a broader pan-Indian issue, and that even the alleged victims portrayed were not from the state. On this basis, they objected to the continued use of “Kerala” in the film’s title, arguing that it was misleading and unfairly targeted the region.

The film is a sequel to ‘The Kerala Story’, which revolved around the alleged recruitment of women from Kerala by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The earlier film had drawn widespread criticism over its depiction of religious radicalisation and concerns about its impact on the state’s image.