The Kerala Story 2 has been granted a U/A certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), confirmed the film’s director in an interview with India Today. Kamakhya Narayan Singh, who reacted to the film’s criticism by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, thanked the board for the timely decision.
“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 rating ensures that viewers aged 14 and above can watch the film.
Earlier, producer Vipul Amritlal Shah also expressed his happiness over the censor board’s certification for the film. Speaking to Hindustan Times, the filmmaker said he was “grateful” to the board for ensuring that the film reaches a wider audience.
“I am truly grateful to the Censor Board for granting a UA certificate to our film. It reflects their faith in the intent and integrity with which we have told this story. This decision is especially important because it allows us to reach young girls and families across the country,” he said.
Shah emphasised that the film helps create “awareness, informs, and empowers young minds to stay alert and make informed choices.”
The development comes after a section of the audience criticised its trailer released earlier this week. On Wednesday, Vijayan called the film “a false propaganda” and “poisonous.”
What did Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan say?
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.
Directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh, The Kerala Story 2 features Ulka Gupta, Aditi Bhatia and Aishwarya Ojha in the lead roles. The trailer depicts their lives spiralling into a nightmare after they fall in love with Muslim men. The first part of the film, released in 2023, also received the same response. The film later won a National Award for Best Director (Sudipto Sen) and Best Cinematography (Prasantanu Mohapatra).
The Kerala Story 2 is scheduled for release on February 27.
