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Kerala High Court on Thursday banned the release of the film ‘The Kerala Story 2’. The film was scheduled to be released in theaters tomorrow i.e. on 27th February.
Regarding the film, the petitioners said in the court that the film wrongly shows the facts related to Kerala. His argument was that this could spoil the communal harmony in Kerala.
Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas, hearing the case, was hearing petitions challenging the CBFC’s decision to approve the release of the film.
During the hearing, Justice Bechu said that the film should not be released until the arguments of all the parties are completed. He also said that the concerns of the petitioners seem prima facie justified.
The court directed the CBFC to consider the objections of the petitioners and take a decision within two weeks. Till then the interim ban on the release of the film will continue.
Let us tell you that the film The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond has been directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh and produced by Vipul Amritlal Shah under the banner of Sunshine Pictures. It is the sequel to the 2023 film The Kerala Story.
Ulka Gupta, Aditi Bhatia and Aishwarya Ojha will be seen in the lead roles in the film The Kerala Story 2.
Pre-screening was ordered
Earlier on Wednesday, during the hearing of this petition in the Kerala High Court, the makers were ordered to hold a pre-screening for the court, although the makers clearly refused to do so.
During the hearing of the petition, the makers were asked to organize a screening of the film for the court in Kochi before its release on February 27. The producer had filed a reply in the court, in which he opposed the petition challenging the release of the film and changing the title.
Producer refused to change the title
The producer also opposed making any changes in the title of the film. He said that the stories of three states have been shown in the film, which includes Kerala. He also said that the word “Goes Beyond” written in the title of the film means that the story is not limited to Kerala only, but also shows the events beyond that.
The producer defended the title, saying that the film does not target Kerala unfairly. He said these main things in his reply-
- The producer said that the teaser shows three women from three different states. So the film clearly shows a multi-state and national level story and not just one related to Kerala.
- He said that the word “GOES BEYOND” in the title is not just for decoration, but it shows that the story is connected to events beyond Kerala and other states as well.
- The producer also clarified that the word “The” has been used in the title to show the connection with the first film. This does not mean that the subject of the film is limited to Kerala only.
- The producer also rejected the petitioner’s “grammatical argument”, saying that the word “the” makes it appear that all the incidents are related to Kerala only. According to the producer, this argument is linguistically incorrect and cannot be understood by reading the entire title together.
- The producer said that the release of the film cannot be challenged on the basis of just a 2-minute teaser, because the teaser does not show the true picture of the entire film.
- He told that the film has been approved by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and all the legal processes have been completed. CBFC is an expert body in this matter, hence the High Court cannot give its opinion in place of its opinion.
- The producer also said that the petition was filed late, as it was filed 16 days after the teaser was released.
Further, the producer had argued that the petitioner had no right to claim to represent the ‘collective dignity of the people of Kerala’. That is, the petitioner cannot raise this case on behalf of the entire state.
In countering this, the petitioner’s advocate had said, “My petitioner is a resident of Kerala, he was born and brought up in Kerala, and his reputation is being affected by this film. Things like birthplace and regional identity are important. This impacts his right to life. There may be other people who have a similar grievance, but my petitioner has his own personal grievance and his reputation is being affected.”
On this argument of the filmmakers, the petitioner’s advocate Shaylan had said, the film is being promoted as if it is based on true events. He also cited the Supreme Court order in the petition filed against the first film The Kerala Story. In that order, the court had recorded that the events shown in the film were not real, but an imaginary version of the events. He further said that the teaser and trailer are completely misleading.
After hearing the arguments of both the parties, Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas had said, “What is shown in the teaser is not necessarily what is shown in the film. Therefore, at the moment we do not know what is actually shown in the film, and the producers are also not willing to show the film in the court.” Further the court had said – If you are ready to show the film, then despite the paucity of time we can watch it.”
The petitioner’s advocate had said in the court that many things have been shown in the teaser, which are not in the film. Those scenes cannot be shown in theatres, so the makers are using the loophole to attract people’s attention by placing them in teasers and trailers. However, on this argument, the court said that if there is an objection to the trailer and teaser, then there should be a separate petition for it, this hearing is only for the film.
Hearing continues on three petitions
The Kerala High Court was hearing three petitions, which were filed by three different people against the film. These petitions demanded a stay on the release of the film and cancellation of the certificate given by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
Why is The Kerala Story 2 in controversy?
The film The Kerala Story 2 was scheduled to release on 27 February. Recently the trailer of the film was released, in which mainly the issues of conversion, love jihad and terrorism are shown. The film tells the story of three girls from different states, while Kerala is written in the title of the film.
After the release of the trailer, many people of Kerala filed a petition against the release of the film alleging that the film is going to tarnish the image of the state. A petition has also demanded to change the title of the film.
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Also read this news related to The Kerala Story 2…
The Kerala Story 2 trailer released: Three stories from three states and conversion in the name of love; The film will be released on 27th February
The film The Kerala Story 2 is in controversy. A petition was filed against the film’s release on the charge of showing a wrong image of the state. During the hearing of this petition in the Kerala High Court on Wednesday, the makers were ordered to hold a pre-screening for the court, although the makers have clearly refused to do so. Read the full news here…
