After a turbulent few days marked by legal hurdles, a temporary stay and a slightly delayed release, the team behind The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond is attempting to steady the ship.
In an exclusive conversation with India Today, the film’s producer, Vipul Amrutlal Shah, addressed the legal hurdles, box-office setbacks and the wider free speech debate surrounding the film. Responding to criticism of the much-discussed beef-feeding scene, he insisted that the argument was one about consent rather than food, asking whether anyone has the right to strip a woman of her freedom to choose, regardless of what is being forced upon her.
The ‘beef’ sequence debate
The trailer’s forced beef-feeding scene sparked outrage online. Shah said the conversation was about consent: “People are focusing on beef and the force-feeding of beef. My question is: if she were force-fed a laddu that way, would it be allowed?” He added that the crux of the scene was to show force-feeding, and the freedom of choice being taken away from the girl. “That is the larger point, which people with a certain kind of biased mindset have ignored,” he added.
Why retain ‘Kerala’ in the title?
One of the most debated aspects remains the film’s title, especially since the narrative extends beyond Kerala to other states. On this, Vipul said, “One needs to understand that the theme of the film is manipulative conversion and, because of that, lives are being lost. Our girls’ lives are being destroyed. Not in every case does the girl die, but lives are being ruined. That is the same theme that is extended in this film, and that is why the title has been kept as The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond. It goes beyond Kerala.”
He maintained that the sequel label was a thematic necessity. “When we made The Kerala Story, there were no plans for a sequel. The idea came when we encountered stories from across the nation and realised that this menace is huge – it is widespread. That is when the idea of a sequel began. Now, the moment you call it a sequel, the title cannot change. But we wanted to be honest that it is not only about Kerala – it goes far beyond Kerala. It covers the entire country, and that is why it is called The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond. In that sense, it is a spiritual sequel to the original film.”
Asked whether the legal wrangling and the missed release window were personal setbacks, Vipul told India Today, “We have suffered; a lot of time has gone. On the day of release, we lost almost the entire day. We could not release the film in Australia and New Zealand. As a result, theatre owners there have decided to push the film by a week, which is very bad for the film because people don’t wait for a week – they just go and watch a pirated copy. So there are losses. But the bright side is that the purpose of the film was to reach out to millions of women – families, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers. I think that process has started now.”
Even as the stay was lifted, reports of local resistance surfaced, particularly from Kerala and Tamil Nadu – regions central to the debate around the film’s subject and title. Addressing this, Shah said, “There are some disturbing reports that certain people have called theatre owners in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and want the film to be stopped from being shown in those cinema halls. Obviously, there is no respect for the judiciary. There is no respect for the law among these people.”
He went on to publicly urge administrations of both states to ensure that screenings proceed without intimidation.
“I urge the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala: you may not agree with my film, but as the chief ministers of your respective states, you have to protect my right to freedom of expression and my team’s efforts. You have to ensure that you come down very heavily on these goons who are threatening theatre owners, restore law and order in the state, and make sure that the film is allowed to be screened and that the court’s order is respected.”
The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond is now in cinemas across India.
