Hours before it was to hit the screens, Hindi film The Kerala Story 2 faced a setback when the Kerala High Court stayed its release for 15 days on Thursday. The film, which has been mired in controversies over its depiction of forced conversions in the state, has now appealed against the stay, but its fate remains uncertain. On Thursday night, the High Court agreed to hear the producers ‘ appeal against the stay, raising some hope that the film may be released in time.
The Kerala Story 2 tickets available despite release stay
Complicating matters are online ticketing platforms and cinema chains, which are either ambiguous or confused over the stay on release. While major cinema chains like PVR, INOX, and Cinepolis do not show any The Kerala Story 2 shows on online ticketing platforms like BookMyShow and District, many of the film’s shows are still available as of Friday morning. On BookMyShow, The Kerala Story 2 shows are open for booking in Mumbai in almost all the Maxus Cinemas in the city. According to the platform, 21 theatres in Mumbai are still selling tickets for the film. In Delhi, this number is only 14, with M2K, G3S, and MSX Cinemas still showing that the film is releasing on Friday.
On social media, many cinema chains have acknowledged that the film has not released. Damodar Cinemas, a small chain, put out an advisory on X (formerly Twitter) in the early hours of Friday. It stated, “Kerala Story Part 2 is currently on hold due to legal matters in India. Follow our page for further updates. Thank you for your understanding.”
Cinema chain announces release
However, around 7 AM, M2K Cinemas, another big national chain, posted that the film has released in theatres, leading to confused reactions from viewers. “Bhai rok nhi lagi hai kya (Isn’t there a stay), asked one. Another quipped, “When you’re out of the news cycle, these things happen.” Many others referred to the film’s tickets being available on BookMyShow and asked, “How are tickets available? Are cinemas out of the loop or are we?”
All about The Kerala Story 2 ‘ban’
The film’s makers have not released a statement on the Kerala High Court’s stay. On Thursday, the Kerala HC stayed the release of the film, saying that prima facie there was a manifest non-application of mind to the requirements of law by the CBFC. The court also noted that “the possibility of communal disharmony or denigration of a community is prima facie involved in the movie,” and that its release without scrutiny by higher authorities would be legally improper.
Directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, The Kerala Story 2 stars Ulka Gupta, Aditi Bhatia, and Aishwarya Ojha.
