Director Kamakhya Narayan Singh recently reacted to the backlash surrounding The Kerala Story 2, after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan referred to it as “false propaganda” and a “poisonous work.” Speaking to India Today, the filmmaker maintained that the film presents the truth and seeks to warn “young daughters and sisters” against what he described as a trap aimed at “changing the demography of the nation.”
“It’s a fact-based film. There is this kind of thing happening all over the country where love is used to trap girls, to change the demography of the country. It’s important that the country knows the facts, about the situation in the country — how the girls are being trapped, and that is why we’ve made this film,” he said.
The trailer, released earlier this week, shows young Hindu girls allegedly being lured into loveless marriages, assaulted, denied their rights, and forced to convert to Islam. When asked whether the makers had anticipated criticism following the trailer’s release, Kamakhya said he is confident that audiences will respond as they did to the first instalment, which released in 2023.
“People had accepted the first part also. They had gone to theatres to watch the film. We are expecting the same this time,” he said, reiterating that the film shows nothing but the truth.
“See, this is the truth. We can’t close our eyes and say there’s nothing happening in society. There are things happening in society, and we need to talk about it, we need to sensitise people about it. Or else, our daughters, our sisters will be caught in the trap,” he added.
Kamakhya further described The Kerala Story 2 as a “tool for truth.” He said those criticising the film should review court documents and speak to real-life victims before condemning it.
“I am a documentary filmmaker and this is my second feature film. I feel cinema is a tool for communication. We are communicating the truth to society, and it’s very important our society knows about it and there’s a conspiracy to change the demography of our nation. They are using our daughters, sisters — they are not safe, we should know about it, they should know about it, our sisters and daughters should know about it,” he explained.
Emphasising that the truth does not change simply because people choose to ignore it, he said: “Aap ja ke court ke judgments padhiye, newspapers padhiye, aapko har din koi aisi news sunne ko mil jayega. Ja ke koshish kijiye, victims ko miliye — aapko samajh ayega ki kitna gravitas hai ism (Go and read court judgments, read newspapers — you will find such news every day. Try going and meeting the victims — you will understand how much seriousness and gravity there is in this).”
The film has received a U/A certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), a move the director welcomed, saying it would allow younger audiences to understand the film’s message.
“We have received cuts and got the certificate. It’s a U/A certificate, and I am thankful to the board that they gave this rating so that young sisters and daughters can go to cinema halls and watch the film. The youngsters, the parents should go and watch the film,” he said.
The Kerala Story 2 row: What did Pinarayi Vijayan say?
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday denounced The Kerala Story 2 as a threat to the state’s secular values. In a statement shared on Facebook, he warned that the film could undermine Kerala’s long-standing tradition of religious harmony, which he described as central to the state’s identity.
Vijayan cited the earlier instalment as having the “intent to spread hatred against the state and undermine its secular tradition.” He added: “This country realised that the first part, which was filled with lies, hatred and anti-Kerala propaganda, was made with communal motives.”
The second part, which reportedly depicts incidents of forced religious conversion, has faced allegations from several quarters of promoting propaganda.
Questioning why “poisonous works produced to spread division and hatred in society” were permitted public screening, Vijayan also referred to films being barred from festivals over their titles, including the Spanish film Beef.
“They are spreading false propaganda by portraying even marriages conducted with mutual consent as examples of communalism and forced religious conversion,” he wrote, criticising the film’s depiction of interfaith relationships.
He further warned of external forces attempting to disrupt Kerala’s peace, stating that such groups are hostile towards a state with “no communal riots and a tradition of mutual respect among communities.” Terming them “enemies of the state,” he said they were trying to disturb the region’s peace and tranquillity through such films.
Produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah and co-produced by Aashin A Shah under the banner of Sunshine Pictures, The Kerala Story 2 is scheduled to release in theatres on February 27.
